


.:The War On Falling Stars:. Chapter 4 Dirt On Your Grave

by Antigravity_Carnivore



Series: The War on Falling Stars [4]
Category: Breaking Benjamin (Band), Poets of the Fall, STARSET (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Rock Band, Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Canon Gay Relationship, Difficult Decisions, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Manipulation, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, F/M, Future Fic, Gay, Government Conspiracy, Inspired by Music, M/M, Missing Persons, Music, Musicians, New West, Pain, Prox - Freeform, Rock and Roll, Science Fiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-17
Updated: 2019-12-17
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:47:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 24,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21836185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Antigravity_Carnivore/pseuds/Antigravity_Carnivore
Summary: Things on Earth start to fall apart, and Lizzie Bell is forced into a dangerous situation and forced to make a very difficult decision. Meanwhile, two strangers appear at the hospital bearing the New West logo on their vests. Who are they and what is their true purpose? Far away on Prox, Ember and Travis discover something terrible....and wonderful.(I hate writing summaries--just go read)
Relationships: Dustin Bates/Benjamin Burnley, Marko Saaresto/Olli Tukiainen
Series: The War on Falling Stars [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1322462
Comments: 1
Kudos: 2





	.:The War On Falling Stars:. Chapter 4 Dirt On Your Grave

Lizzie slammed her foot on the accelerator of the car, revving the engine and pulling away from the curb as fast as she could. She was aware of Scott and the strange man standing on the steps behind her, staring at her in shock as she peeled out of the driveway. She didn’t care about what they were thinking. She knew that she had to get back to the hospital as soon as possible, back to her son, and neither of the men seemed interested in helping her. Scott was concerned of course, but the appearance of the pale looking, nervous man with the bow-tie seemed to have greatly disturbed him, and Lizzie knew that she wouldn’t be able to count on him, at least not until his odd guest left. There was just something about this man that didn’t feel right anyway, and Lizzie wanted to put as much distance between the two of them as she could.

The tires screeched loudly on the pavement just outside of the small suburban community as she increased speed and headed for the interstate entrance. Next to her on the passenger seat was her cellphone, tossed carelessly where she had thrown it when she got in the car. After seeing Selene’s message, asking her to return to the hospital as soon as possible, Lizzie sprang into action, taking Scott’s keys and speeding away as fast as she could, before he could protest. She had to get back to her son, nothing else mattered. Gripping the steering wheel tightly as she guided the car through the twists and turns of the road, Lizzie glanced down at the wedding ring on her finger and felt the rising waves of anxiety threatening to take over her. Her husband, Thomas had been missing for hours, and now with her sudden rush to the hospital to be with Tristan, she felt like she was abandoning him. Her only hope was that when she reached her destination, Thomas would already be there waiting, sitting at Tristan’s bed side, and both of her boys would greet her with a warm smile when she walked in. That hope was the only thing keeping her going. She had no idea where Thomas could be, or why he left in the middle of the night, but there was a lingering feeling that whatever drew him out of their bed at such an ungodly hour was more important to him than she was.

Wiping away the tears that threatened to spill out of the corner of her eyes, Lizzie focused on the road ahead of her just as the skies opened up and it started to rain. Letting out a curse underneath her breath, she fumbled around the car’s console, trying to figure out how to turn on the wipers. Momentarily distracted, she took her eyes off the road for one second to look down at the switches, when some movement just out of the corner of her vision caused her to quickly glance up again. Her eyes widened and she saw a tall, dark figure standing directly in the center of the road ahead of her just a few feet away. Reacting quickly, she realized that she couldn’t swerve to the right or left due to the fact that the ditches on either side of the road were now filled with debris from the flash flooding. If Scott’s car went into one of the deep trenches, it would sink into the mire and muck, leaving Lizzie stranded, and she didn’t know how long it would take for help to arrive. Her only alternative was to brake suddenly, bracing herself for impact, and pray that whatever type of animal happened to be unfortunate enough to be crossing the road ahead of her would get out of the way in time. Both of Lizzie’s small feet hit the brake pedal at the same time, as the headlight illuminated the shape directly ahead of her. The lights washed over it, and Lizzie’s heart stopped for a moment. It wasn’t an animal, or just a shadow in the road. It was a man. Letting out a cry, Lizzie pushed on the brakes as hard as she could and looked away. She knew at that moment she made a bad choice and should have run the car into the ditch. Now she was seconds away from colliding with a person, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. Not wanting to see the moment of impact, Lizzie closed her eyes as the car skidded in the dirt and mud and finally came to a stop. She took her hands off the wheel and cradled her head in them, sobbing quietly. The car’s engine quietly remained idling as the rain beat down on the rooftop of the car and streamed down over the windshield. It was a comforting sound, and Lizzie tried to concentrate on it, to drown out the throbbing beat of her own heart in an effort to calm herself. Keeping her head lowered, she slowly opened her eyes, but refused to look up. She wasn’t quite ready to see the carnage yet. ‘It’s okay Lizzie.’ She said quietly to herself. ‘It’s not your fault; it was an accident, that’s all. They happen all the time.’ She reached up and wiped the tears away from her cheeks. ‘Maybe the injuries aren’t so bad, you’re a nurse, you’ve got to get out there and help that person. You see this type of thing all the time. You can deal with the guilt later. Get out of your head. Come on, move it, girl.’ Taking a deep breath, Lizzie pushed the hair away from her face and opened her eyes, preparing herself to see the spider web crack of the windshield in front of her when she looked up. Much to her surprise, it was still intact. The wiper blades moved back and forth, sloshing the thick waves of rain away from the thick, unbroken pane of glass. Relieved, Lizzie reached out to the side, placing her hand on the handle of the door to get out; when she noticed that the dark figure that she had nearly hit with her car was now standing directly in front of her. There was something sinister about the way he was looking back at her that made her instantly draw her hand away from the door handle, and hit the lock button instead.

The man before her was dressed in a simple black suit, tailored to his tall and lanky form, but it was far from neat and tidy. The material was worn and stressed, near to the point of being threadbare in a few places, and it hung on his thin form like bed sheets draped on a clothesline. The rain drenched him with unrelenting force, soaking into the fabric of his suit and dripping down into his eyes, but he didn’t seem to mind it one bit, his attention was fixed and centered on Lizzie. Not quite sure what she should do, but relieved that the car had stopped merely inches away from the man, she carefully considered her options. The road was narrow, and flooding on both sides now, so she couldn’t go around him, and it was obvious that she couldn’t go forward now either, not without hitting the unsettling man, so her only choice was to get him to move. Flicking the headlights onto high beam, she beeped the horn a few times at him, expecting him to react, but he didn’t. He continued to remain motionless. She revved the engine of the car, and flashed the lights on and off, but he wouldn’t move. “Come on, get out of the way! Move it!” Lizzie shouted and threw her hands up in the air. The man tilted his head and reached forward, placing his skeletal like pale fingers on the hood of the car, and suddenly it went dark, no power. A eerie blackness descended over the area like a blanket, muffling and drowning out every other sound but the rain. In a panic, Lizzie looked around desperately for her cell phone, and noticed it was no longer on the seat next to her, it had fallen down onto the passenger side floor. “Shit!” She whispered. Stretching out, she tried to reach for it, but the seat belt kept her firmly in place, just out of reach of the phone. There was only one way to reach it, unlock the belt and take her eyes off the man for a moment so she could shimmy across the seat to reach it. He continued to stare at her through the rain, waiting patiently for something.

Resigning herself to probably what would end up being yet another careless mistake, Lizzie’s fingers grabbed hold of the cold metal seat belt buckle and released it. It clicked open and she tried to reach down and to the side to grab the phone without taking her eyes off him, but it wouldn’t work, she had to actually crawl down to the passenger side floor if she were to retrieve the phone. She knew he was going to try something, she could just feel it. Out of desperation, Lizzie gave up on the phone for a moment and tried to start the car, hoping that maybe there was a slim chance that it merely stalled and she could start it again, but as she turned the key in the ignition, there was nothing but silence, and her hopes were quickly shattered. She had to go for the phone, there was no other choice. As she tried to find the strength to dive for it, the sound of the rain hitting the rooftop was suddenly interrupted by a series of chimes and light coming from the passenger side of the car; her phone was ringing. Immediately Lizzie took her eyes off the man and dove headfirst across the front of the car, her fingers searching desperately for the mobile device on the carpet, when suddenly the lock of the passenger side door popped up and the door opened. The wind lashed the cold rain in, and she instinctively drew away from its icy coolness, pushing her body back into the driver’s side and recoiling against the door, as the stranger calmly sat down on the seat next to her and shut the door.

With frantic fingers, she groped the leather interior of the door behind her, trying to find the handle to slip out, but the moment when she found it, her heart sank, it wouldn’t budge. Something was keeping it locked tightly. The man sitting next to her took a deep breath and turned to face her. Lizzie cringed and tried to shove her little body even further away from him. Seeing her fear, the man’s expression changed a bit and softened. Then he spoke. “Don’t be afraid of me Lizzie. I am not going to hurt you.” His voice was soothing and somewhat oddly comforting, but Lizzie wasn’t letting her guard down, not even for a moment.

“Then get out of the car and let me go.” She whispered. “I have done nothing to you, I don’t know why you are stalking me like this. I won’t tell anyone that I’ve even seen you, if that’s what you are afraid of. I… I just have someplace that I need to be right away. It’s an emergency.” As she spoke, she started to tremble, and felt the temperature in the car begin to drop drastically, almost as if the man brought the cold in with him.

“Yes, you do need to go, as soon as you can, but not to the place where you think you should me.” He drew in a long breath and folded his hands neatly in his lap. Lizzie could see how slender his fingers really were, and noted that there were small faded tattoos on several of those delicate digits. “I am not here to frighten you, or force you to do anything. The choice, as always, must remain your own. I cannot interfere, I am too weak for that now, but think of me as a guide, and what you choose to do with the information I am about to give you is completely up to you.” He hesitated for a moment, and then unfolded his hands. Lizzie’s eyes went back down to them again, and she noticed that there was a distinct pale line on his finger, where a wedding band should be. “A few moments of your time is all I need, then I will leave, and you will find the storm gone, and the car in perfect working order. It's that easy.”

Lizzie shifted nervously and moved herself back into a sitting position. There were goosebumps starting to form on her bare arms and legs, and she now wished that she had worn warmer clothing out on this night. “Okay, I will listen… but I want you gone. I have someplace to be… someplace important.”

The man raised an eyebrow. “And where is that?” He asked curiously. The tone in his voice made it very apparent that he had somehow already knew where she was heading, but pretending to be ignorant for courtesy. It was an annoying game that Lizzie didn’t really want to play, but had no choice. She had to humor him to move on.

“The hospital. My son is there. He’s been in a coma for a long time and I think that he woke up. I mean, I am not sure he woke up, but I have this feeling… My husband….Thomas…” Lizzie fumbled with the words. “He’s there too… I think. I need to go to them. They both need me. I got a message from Selene, telling me to come as soon as I could.”  
The expression on the man’s face changed to seriousness. “No you didn’t.”

Lizzie fumed. Being carjacked was one thing, but to be called a liar by a complete stranger was something entirely different, and it annoyed her more than his intrusion. “Yes I did! It’s right there on my phone, at your feet! Pick it up and look at it! Tristan needs me! I have to go to him.”

Reaching down, the man picked up the phone and held it out to Lizzie. Quickly, she snatched it away from him and unlocked it. Her fingers couldn’t move fast enough to get to Selene’s last message. As she navigated the phone’s menu, the man watched her expression change from irate annoyance to complete confusion. She glanced up at him, her face illuminated by the dim LED lighting from the screen. The message wasn’t there. “I don’t understand… it’s gone.”

“It was never there Lizzie. You are being manipulated and controlled by someone who is trying to force your hand in matters. That text message was not sent from Selene Bell, I can assure you of that, but I cannot tell you who. You see, the future as you know it is not certain, and there are others who are trying to bring about changes that will destroy everything you hold dear. There have always been groups like this, in every timeline, in every world, they just want to destroy things and don’t care who gets harmed in the way. All they want is to make sure that they come out on top and rule over those less fortunate.” His voice went quiet for a moment. “I thought I could fix everything, I thought I could stop it from happening again. The changes I made were intended to bring happiness for everyone involved, but now, things are falling apart, and I am growing weaker, I cannot stop them. The darkness is taking over, and now it is time to pass the torch onto a new generation.”

Shaking her head, Lizzie sighed. “I think you got the wrong person. I am nobody. There’s nothing special about me at all. I am just a wife, a mother, a nurse… nothing more.” For a moment, she thought about Tristan, laying in a coma in the hospital for a year, sleeping, not even knowing that she was there, then her thoughts went to Thomas, her husband, lying awake at night in their bed, alone. She always managed to keep the guilt away, shove it into the back of her subconscious and not think about it, but now, all the feelings came to the surface. She had basically abandoned her husband to be with her son. What kind of wife and mother does that? Was she greedy, thinking about her own happiness before the others who depended on her and loved her? Time had made her blind, and now she was starting to see. “I am not a very good person.” She murmured. “I don't deserve them.”

There was a moment of silence in the car. Lizzie could hear herself breathing, see the icy breath form ice crystals in the cold, but when her eyes fell onto the stranger, he was like a living statue. His gray green eyes searched hers for a moment, looking right through her. She could tell that he was indecisive about something; there was something that he wanted desperately to say to her, but he was holding it back. She could see the anguish in his eyes; the inner turmoil that he was silently dealing with. Even though he was a stranger, someone who frightened her to the core, she felt incredibly sorry for him,but didn't know why. There was something about the way he looked at that particular moment that broke Lizzie’s heart. Was it the mention of a family that disturbed him? He remained silent for a few more minutes, as she sat still next to him. The he spoke. “Thomas is dying, Lizzie.”

“What?” Her eyes widened and Lizzie gasped. “How do you know this? Where is he?” She felt like her heart was going to jump right out of its chest and her hands began to tremble. Oh god, please tell me, he’s been missing all night! I knew he was in danger.”

“It’s not that simple.” The rain started to ease up outside and silver peeks of moonlight shone in through the clouds, giving the stranger a ghastly, haunted appearance. “You have to make a choice here, a very painful one. Your son, or your husband. One of them will not make it through the night.” He paused and glanced out the window. “We are literally at a crossroads here, Lizzie. One turn will take you to Tristan, and the other Thomas. I know for a fact that they both have limited time remaining.”

Grasping her phone, Lizzie started to scroll through her contacts. “I am going to call Selene. She’s at the hospital now; she is supposed to be watching over Tristan…There's no way that he could be in any danger, he's got her!” Ready to prove the stranger wrong, Lizzie dialed the numbers several times, trying to get a line to Selene, but it a busy signal was all she managed to get. She found that every call was dropped, or wouldn’t go through. She stared blankly at the screen and then at the man next to her.

“Not my doing.” The man said flatly. “You will find that all communication has been cut off. They are working fast now. Soon, things will start to fall apart. Those whom you love literally have minutes remaining. You have to make a choice here, which one will you save?”

Lizzie felt her eyes once again welling up with tears. “Why do I have to choose at all? Can’t I have them both? They are my boys. I love them both so much.” She wiped at her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt, trying to prevent the upcoming breakdown that she felt she was going to have. She didn't want to cry in front of this stranger. “Can’t you help me? Can you save them? I don’t know what or who you are, but I see that you can do things. Angel or demon, it doesn’t matter, I will do whatever you ask me to, but please, I am begging you, help me save my boys!”

“I can’t help you, Lizzie.” The man whispered. “You have to help yourself.”

“Can’t or won’t!” Lizzie shouted. “This is freaking nuts. My car stops working and the next thing I know, I have a madman sitting next to me telling me that my husband and son are going to die tonight. It’s insane. This can’t be real. I am done with it. I’ve got to get to the hospital, even if I have to walk, and when I do, I am calling the cops and my husband for them to come and collect you. They can take you back to whatever asylum you escaped from.” She put her hand on the handle again and yanked it with all her strength, when it wouldn’t budge; she started throwing her shoulder against the door. The car shook violently as she repeatedly slammed her small body into the door, over and over until her arm was numb and covered with bruises. All the while, the man sat and watched patiently. When she was done, she brought her hands up, covering her face and sobbed.

“Finished now?” The man said softly. “You're right. This isn’t fair. Nothing is.” His voice became deeper and was filled with sadness for a moment. “I lost someone dear to me some time ago, and I lost a part of myself on that day. When it happens the feeling of helplessness washes over you like an ocean, all you want to do is drown in it and have it carry you away so you never have to feel anything like that again, but it doesn’t happen. The tide drags you out into those dark waters, leaves you to struggling there for a while, gulping for air, trying to stay afloat, and just when you think you’ve had enough, you’re going under, the current shifts and you find yourself being pushed onto land again. Forced to come back to reality and deal with the real world all over again… but it’s so hard, you’re so exhausted and tired…they don’t know the pain you’ve been through. All they can see is the shell of the person you once were and expect you to pick up the pieces and just move on. That's life.”

Lizzie sighed. “You make it sound like I’ve lost them already.”

“If you don’t make a choice, you will.”

Lizzie felt her whole body go numb. “Help them…. Please. Whatever you want, I will give it to you. Anything you want, I don’t care.”

“Not me… It has to be you.” The man reached out and placed a hand on her arm. Lizzie didn’t want him to touch her. She was prepared to push him away, cringing in anticipation of the terrible touch of his ice cold fingertips, she noticed that just the opposite happened. The moment she felt his flesh touch hers, she was instantly filled with a comforting sensation, once of peace and contentment. Her racing heart slowed down a bit and she looked up at him; feeling drawn to this man now for some odd reason. A lifetime of emotions all flooded into her at once. His happiness, his pain, his anguish, everything that he had ever experienced, all at once, just for her. There were no specifics to these feelings, but the emotions were there, raw and unfiltered, and she instantly knew all the pain that he had gone through. Their eyes met, and she found herself feeling lightheaded and dizzy. She leaned over and slipped into the soft warmth of his body. All the dampness from the rain that drenched him outside was gone; his jacket and shirt were completely dry, the material thick and soft, almost like feathers. She wanted to wrap herself around him, feel his arms around her holding her tightly, and telling her that everything was going to be alright. She would believe it if he said it to her. It was almost as if he had used some sort of magic spell on her, mesmerized and entranced her to calm her down, and it worked. Who was he? How could he do this? The man brushed the hair away from her face with his slender fingertips. Every single touch made her skin tingle and her head fill with fog. “We all have to make decisions in our lives. Some are wonderful, some are terrible. What you are feeling right now are some of the ones that I have made. It’s not easy, I know, but I made these choices, not so long ago that changed the lives of everyone around me. I gave them peace, hope, a new life, but in doing so, I took so much away from them… and lost myself.”

Pressing her head against his chest for a moment, she listened to his heart beat. It was so strong and steady, proving to her that he was real. Her thoughts went to her family. She had everything that she wanted, a home, a child, a husband, and now was on the verge of losing it all. Before she even met Thomas, she dreamed about him and about the life that they would have together. Sitting outside, looking up at the stars, wrapped up in his arms with a child in her lap was her idea of the perfect life. She loved Thomas even before she met him, and at times felt as though she must have dreamed him into reality. Now here she was, on the verge of losing everything, leaning against a stranger who was making her make a awful decision. Forcing herself away from him, Lizzie realized that she was no longer afraid of him. His touch changed everything. There was a strange power that radiated around him flowing through him and made him seem more than human. Part of her almost wanted to ask him exactly what he was, but one glance in those gray green eyes and she could clearly see that he was not a heavenly being, not by a long shot, and she didn’t want to know the truth. There was still a underlying sense of terror there, but it was muted now, as if opening herself up to him made her turn a blind eye to it. Was he luring her into a false sense of security? “I can’t choose.” She whispered.

The man looked down at the missing ring on his finger. “Then I will leave and you will lose them both. I am sorry Lizzie, I can’t stop it. A lot of things will happen tonight, I have to go.” He opened the door to the car a crack, letting the damp night air in, and was getting ready to step out when Lizzie grabbed desperately at his shirt, clutching onto the fabric.

“No wait! Stop! Don’t go!” Lizzie wanted to cry again, but this time she was able to hold back the tears. The thought of losing both her son and her husband was so overwhelming, so terrifying that she knew that she had to do as the stranger said and make a choice. Releasing him, she relaxed for a moment as he shut the car door. She felt so helpless, so small that the only thing she was able to hold onto was the fact that she could save one of them. She looked over to the man. “What is your name?” She asked softly.

The man didn’t answer right away. Instead, he sat still, watching the last of the raindrops slide down the glass of the windshield, as the storm passed by. Eventually, without looking at her, he spoke. “Benjamin.”

Taking a deep breath, Lizzie closed her eyes for a moment. The decision was made. “What do I have to do?” She asked.

Benjamin turned to look at her once again, and she could feel the weight of those gray green eyes on her. It was crushing. She felt like a child, waiting to be scolded for doing something wrong. “That depends on who you want to save. Your son, or your husband.”

The next several moments that passed by felt like hours to Lizzie. She listened to every word that Benjamin said to her, and did not interrupt or ask any questions of him. His voice was enthralling and she hung on every single word. By the time that he had finished speaking quietly to her, the rain had completely stopped, and the flood waters were already receding. In a matter of minutes, they would be gone completely, making it appear as though the storm was never there. Benjamin glanced at her one last time. “Do you understand now, Lizzie? Why this has to happen and why you have to be the one to make this choice?”

Lizzie shook her head. “I’ll never understand it. No matter what you say to me, no matter how you try to rationalize it to me, I’ll never be okay with this. You’re asking me to do the unimaginable.”

“We’re finished then.” Benjamin said flatly. Opening the passenger door of the car, he slid out of his seat and stepped outside. He took a moment and looked up at the stars; at the beautiful light that now shone brightly through the black curtain of night. He let their brilliance wash over him for a moment, and then glanced back at Lizzie. “There are so many ways to be brave in this world. Sometimes bravery involves laying down your life for something bigger than yourself, or for someone else. Sometimes it involves giving up everything you have ever known, or everyone you have ever loved, for the sake of something greater, but sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes it is nothing more than making a simple choice. Turn down that street, take an alternate route, choose whether or not to leave the house today… we never know what will happen because of the choices that we make… Rest assured that tonight, you will save the life of someone that you love, and possibly countless others. ”

“My only mistake was turning down this road tonight and meeting you. She snapped. Mentally exhausted, Lizzie was done. She put her hand on the keys and turned them in the ignition. Just as Benjamin had said, the car started. She gave him a glare of defiance.“Go to hell” She snapped, looking right at him. “Whatever happens tonight, I will never forget you, and how you can be so cruel as to play god with people's lives. I hope I never see you again.”

The frigid, icy coolness began to fill the air again. Benjamin slammed the door and took a few steps away from the car. “Pray that you never do.”

The car sped off, disappearing into the night with haste. Benjamin stood on the side of the road, watching as the last glimmer of the tail lights vanished. His hands clenched into tight fists. “I don’t care what it takes; I am going to stop you.” He muttered to the darkness. “Even if I have to burn this world down, I will do it.”

‘Give it your best shot.’ The voice in his head mocked. ‘I’m waiting for you.’

Two men dressed in lab coats and scrubs sat idly in the observation area of the operating room. One of them, the shorter of the two with sandy blonde mid-length hair watched the procedure that was taking place in the next room with interest while he paced back and forth. Occasionally he would stop and let out a bored sigh or shake his head silently in disgust before moving on and starting the routine all over again. The other man, who was taller with shorter hair, reclined on the couch with his legs crossed and was engrossed in a book. He seemed to be completely relaxed and totally oblivious to the procedure that was going on just a few feet away from them.

The clock on the wall flashed an ungodly hour, with each minute silently ticking away and annoying the shorter man even more. Finally, he turned around, placed his hands on his hips and scowled at his companion. “Marko, are you sure that we have to do this? I mean… it all seems so… unethical.”

Not even bothering to look up from his book, Marko flipped a page and continued to read. “It’s a bit late for apprehension now, isn’t it Ollie? Considering all that we’ve done up to this point, this shouldn’t be bothering you. We have our orders from New West. After we do this one last task, we’re out.”

Ollie wrung his hands. “How can you be so sure that they are going to let us walk away? After all that we’ve seen, all that we've done won’t we be a liability to them?” He turned around and started pacing again, glancing over through the window anxiously to the patient beyond. “God, this is so fucked up. I just want it to be finished.”

Marko let out a deep sigh and closed his book, placing it on the couch and stood up, making his way across the room to Ollie. Standing directly in his pacing path, he reached out and placed his hands on his hips, drawing him in close. “My little Ollie, you keep forgetting the reason why we are doing this. It’s for us. This is our chance to escape and finally be together. New West might be using us as their pawns, but it’s going to all work out, I promise you. With the money that we’re going to have when it’s done, we can go wherever we want, build our own home and start a family without worrying about looking over our shoulder to see who is judging us. Think of it as a means to an end.”

Frowning, Ollie tried to ignore Marko’s advances, and slightly turn away from him, once again looking to the patient on the operating table. “You are a fantastic surgeon, you don’t deserve to be doing shady shit for people you don’t even know. I wish that we had never left.”

Marko gripped Ollie’s hips tightly. “Have you forgotten how they treated us there? All the hate and anger they had towards us simply because we were gay? I lost all my patients, the clinic was burned down to the ground and our homes were vandalized. They drove us out, Ollie, with nothing more than the clothes on our backs. We were homeless, there wasn’t any other choice. New West came in and gave us what we needed to survive. They got us out of that hell hole and here to America so that we have can have a chance of being together. It doesn’t matter to them that we’re a couple, all they want is for us to help them with a few jobs, then we are free to go. Love, you are all that matters to me, and I want to be with you for the rest of my life, but we couldn’t survive where we were. We had to do what we did in order to be happy, and I don’t regret any of it. This is the last job, and we’re out. We do this, turn in our phones and disappear. Easy as that.” Marko slid his hands from Ollie’s hips up to his back, letting his fingertips glide over his spine. “Just relax, everything will be fine.”

Placing his hands on Marko’s chest, Ollie leaned against the larger man. He loved being close to him like this. There were so few opportunities to do it though. “I do want to be with you Marko, but if New West won’t let us leave… I am afraid of what might happen.”

Tightening his arms around Ollie’s slender form, Marko drew him into a tight embrace. He bent down slightly and whispered into his ear. “When we started this, I told you that I would not ever let anything happen to you, and I meant it. I would take care of everything. If anything goes wrong, we have a way out, someone on the inside who assured me that this is the end of it. New West won’t be able to touch us. We’re free after this. I promise. No more dancing on broken glass.”

Looking up into Marko’s eyes, Ollie felt comforted. From the moment that they met, he knew that Marko had to be a part of his life. They had been through so much together, the two of them, dealing with families and friends who couldn’t accept the fact that the two men were in love. Marko came from a wealthy family with a long line of doctors and surgeons who were highly respected members of the community. He had fully intended on following in the footsteps of those who had come before him, and live the life that he was expected to have, until one day when Ollie, a struggling musician came stumbling into his life. They ended up going to college together, and even though Marko did well with his studies and excelled at everything, Ollie always fell short, and ended up dropping out. After losing touch for a few years, the two men met by chance again and immediately rekindled their friendship, and more. Marko moved Ollie into his house as a roommate, and on long days at his practice, he would come home to find Ollie sitting outside on the balcony, strumming his guitar while the breeze blew the white lace curtains around him. To Marko, this was the very definition of beauty. It was on one of these nights, after a particularly hard day taking care of ill patients, and dealing with his demanding family, when Marko slipped out to the balcony with a glass of wine in his hand and sat down next to Ollie. It was early summer and there was a warm breeze blowing across the vineyards near the house which filled the air with a slightly sweet scent of ripening grapes hanging plump on the vine. The sun was setting, painting the sky in brilliant colors of red and orange. Not saying a word, Marko sat motionless and listened to Ollie pluck the strings of the guitar, producing a romantic, melodic tune that hung in the air all around them. Marko moved closer, and leaned against Ollie’s slender form, encouraged by the warmth of his frail frame and the courage of the alcohol that he had been drinking. The wonder and excitement in Marko’s eyes was like that of a child, bright and wondrous, completely fascinated and mesmerized by the magic of the melody that he was hearing. Never in his life had he heard something so beautiful and elegant as the song that Ollie was playing and he wanted to be a part of it.

Ollie kept playing, enjoying the feeling of Marko’s body leaning against his for two hours. He feared that if he stopped playing, Marko would move away, and things would go back to the way that they were, just friends. The intimate moment would be lost forever. Time ticked away the seconds into minutes and then the minutes into hours, and still he kept playing. The music filled the air around them, almost drawing the two men together. Eventually, after every song he knew was played twice, and some were spontaneously made up, Ollie knew it was time to give in and call it a night. With a heavy heart, and aching fingers, he strummed the last chord and lowered his gaze.

“That was beautiful.” Marko whispered. He remained leaning against Ollie, who was now too terrified to move. He had no idea what was going to happen next.

“Yeah I guess so. I might be a flop with everything else in my life, but music… that’s the thing that I can do, and do well. When I play, it's as if I am really living, these strings are my veins and they carry my life in them. I don’t know what I would do without music. It really is a beautiful thing.”

Marko sat up slightly, sitting the wine glass down on the table in front of him and propping his body up on one elbow. He had never heard Ollie speak so eloquently of his music. It impressed and enchanted him. “Not nearly as beautiful as you.”

Laughing, Ollie gave Marko a playful shove, and much to his surprise, Marko caught his wrist in mid swing, holding it tightly in his hand, and not letting it go. At first Ollie laughed about it, but then he could see a serious look on Marko’s face. “Marko, are you drunk? You can… ugh, let me go now.”

Pulling himself up to sit next to Ollie, Marko let him go, but moved in closer, tossing the pillow that was positioned between them aside. “If I am drunk, it’s not from the cheap wine, I assure you. It’s from listening to you play. It has intoxicated me, taken my spirit away to a place never before seen, heard or felt. You create magic when you play Ollie, and I am in love with it.”

Swallowing harshly, Ollie smiled a bit and gripped the guitar pic so tightly in his hand that he could feel the plastic biting into his skin. He suddenly felt very warm and lightheaded, as a million different emotions all assaulted him at once. “Oh you are huh?” He laughed nervously, and when he saw that Marko still looked at him with awe and admiration, he began to blush. “Is… is… that all you are in love with?” He stammered, trying to sound aloof, but curious.

Marko reached over and took the guitar away from Ollie, dropping it onto the floor. The wood and strings clattered loudly on the concrete flooring. “No.” Marko whispered in his deep, husky voice. “There’s more, so much more I love about you.” He reached over and gently laid a hand on Ollie’s thigh. Ollie looked down at it, knowing what Marko was doing and instantly feeling uncomfortable, and curious at the same time.

“You can’t do this.” Ollie whispered. Marko now sat directly in front of him, his lips gleaming an stained red from the wine. He very much wanted to kiss them. “It will change everything.”

Marko smiled. “That’s what I am hoping for, maybe it's time for a change.” At that moment, he released the wine glass from his fingers, letting it fall and shatter into pieces at their feet. A few left over droplets of the wine splashed upon impact and trickled down the wooden surface of the guitar. Marko drew Ollie into his arms and kissed him full on the lips, mouthing words of poetry upon his soft flesh without saying a word. Grabbing hold of Marko’s body, Ollie guided it on top of his, and pulled him down into the deep folds of the couch. He could taste the wine on Marko’s lips, and he was very suddenly aware how thirsty he was. Clutching at Marko’s thin jacket, he yanked it down over his arms, quickly removing it, wanting to feel the bare softness of the man's flesh against his own. Marko responded by covering Ollie’s throat and neck with tender kisses.

“What if they find out about us?” Ollie spoke, trying to be rid of the last bits of doubt in his mind. “Your family, your patient’s they won’t take kindly to this. It's a very close minded community, I don't want your reputation ruined. We’re going to have to keep it a secret if we go any further than this.”

Resting his head against Ollie’s forehead for a moment, Marko’s deep blue eyes pierced right through him. It was clearly obvious that he had made a decision, and now was trying his best to reassure Ollie and comfort him. “They won’t find out.”

“But they did.” Ollie whispered as he stood in Marko’s arms in the observation room of the hospital.

Raising an eyebrow, Marko looked at him curiously. “What?”

Ollie sighed and slipped out of Marko’s arms. “Nothing, just remembering something.” He gathered up Marko’s book and handed it to him, nodding in the direction of the operating room. “They are nearly done working on that patient. We should get ready, it will be our turn next.”

Taking the book from him, Marko grabbed hold of his hand. “Ollie, I can tell you’re upset. Tell me what’s bothering you. If it's the procedure...”

Looking over at the surgeons finishing up their last stitches on the patient, Ollie frowned. “I have this terrible feeling that I can’t shake. Something feels wrong here. I think that we should just turn around and leave here right now. Forget about all of this. Fuck New West and everything that they’ve promised us. For Christ sake, Marko, you’re going to be operating on a complete innocent here. She is a violinist, not some big wig rocket scientist or anyone that’s going to change the world. She came in here because she fell and broke her arm, and we’re going to put an implant in her brain, and why…because New West wants it? This is basically rape, and I don’t want any part of it.” Ollie pulled off his scrub cap and lab coat and threw them down on the floor. “I am done pretending to be your assistant Marko; I won’t ruin this woman’s life. New West can suck it. Let's go.”

The operating staff in the next room were starting to leave now, a few at a time and Marko became anxious, they would be coming to collect him and Ollie for the next procedure in a matter of seconds. “Ollie, I know you’re having trouble with all of this, but believe me we have to go through with it. We’re too far in now. If we turn tail and go, New West will hunt us down like dogs. We will be on the run for the rest of our lives. One last job, that’s all we need to do to fulfill our part of the bargain, and we’re free, that’s it! Look, if you’re worried about what we’re putting in that woman’s brain, don’t be. I checked out the implant. All it appears to be is some sort of stupid GPS tracking device. No big mind control system or brain altering circuit board, just a tracker. I even did some research into the New West’s files and I couldn't find anything about it, it's probably harmless. I don’t know why they want it on her so badly, but I am going to do it, because I was told to, and I don’t want to go in there alone. I need you with me. 20 minutes Ollie, that’s all it’s going to take and it will be done. She won't even know it's in there.” He looked toward his lover with pleading eyes. “Please don’t leave me now, not when I need you the most.”

The door opened up and the senior member of the medical team stepped inside. “Doctor Saaresto, Doctor Tukiainen we are finished now with the initial care. Are you ready to begin the procedure?”

“Is everything prepared to my request?” Marko asked. He was aware of Ollie’s uncomfortable stance next to him.

The surgeon nodded. “Yes. Everything is exactly how it was instructed to us, and the device is charged up and ready for insertion. All that is required is your surgical expertise. Once again, New West thanks you for your assistance in this sensitive matter.” The door behind the doctor opened up again and two men stepped in behind him. They were dressed as members of the medical staff, but Marko could make out the outline of guns concealed underneath their scrubs.

Pointing towards them Marko snapped. “What the hell is this?”

The doctor shrugged. “Security precaution, orders from New West. They will be in attendance as you insert the device to be sure that nothing goes wrong or the procedure does not get interrupted.”

“I wasn’t made aware of anything like this.” Marko fumed. He glanced over to Ollie, who looked like he was ready to bolt out the door at any moment. “I don’t like the idea of having babysitters in the operating room, much less men with guns!”

“I do apologize for the inconvenience Dr. Saaresto but I do have my orders to follow as well.” He motioned toward the door. “Shall we begin now? Time is short and we do need to get this patient back to her room as soon as possible.”

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Marko closed his eyes for a moment. “Can you please give me one more moment with my assistant here? I want to go over a few more last minute instructions with him so that the procedure goes as smoothly as possible. I assure you it won’t take very long, and you can wait next door if you like so that we can get to work. After all, we don’t want to keep New West waiting.” Before the doctor could answer, Marko picked up a medical chart and grabbed Ollie by the elbow, leading him across the room. He looked over his shoulder at the annoyed doctor and the security team. “Off you go then, it will only take a few moments. I thank you very much for your patience and understanding.” The doctor, feeling awkward for standing there, staring at Marko and Ollie’s backs as they talked quietly, slipped out the doors and took the other men with him. The moment that they left, Marko tossed the medical chart down and reached into his pocket, pulling out a piece of paper. Grabbing Ollie’s hand, he forced him to take it, closing his fingers tightly around the precious parcel. “You were right, Ollie. Those guns...They aren’t going to let us go… you have to get out of here while you can. I’ll tell them that you are fetching a piece of equipment for me, they should let you go, and when they do, you get as far away from this wing of the hospital as you can. When you are safe, you call this number. They will help you.” He squeezed Ollie’s hand tightly, he didn’t want to let go, fearing it might be the last time they would be together.

Ollie stared at him in disbelief. “What the fuck Marko? You just told me that everything was going to be okay, and now you get spooked and want to run away? I don’t get it. What the hell is going on?”

Letting go of Ollie’s hand, it was now Marko’s turn to pace the room. “This isn’t how it was all supposed to happen. I wasn’t really going to insert some tracking device into a innocent person’s head without her permission. I thought that I could fake it and then be done with everything. We’d take what we were owed by New West and get the hell out of here. We would be long gone before they even found out about it…but once I saw the guards come in, I knew that we were fucked.” Marko ran his hands over his face. “I thought we could forget about all this and be together, maybe start a band or something, you’re so good at playing guitar… but now it seems like I’ve screwed everything up. I honestly thought I was in the right here. Ollie, I am so sorry.”

“You were going to double cross them? That's insane!” Looking down at the piece of wrinkled paper in his hands, Ollie just stared at it in disbelief. “This isn’t happening.”

Picking up the book that he had been reading and writing in, Marko offered it to Ollie. “It is, and it’s all my fault. You need to go now. Don’t worry about me, I will find you when I can…if I can. Take this and go. Please. I love you, just do as I say.”

“I am not going anywhere without you!” Ollie shouted. Realizing how loud his voice was, he immediately lowered it and yanked the book out of Marko’s hands, shoving the tiny piece of paper inside and placing it into his pocket. “So we’re in a lot of shit now, who cares? We got in it together, and we will get out together. Marko, I need you. We will go together.” He reached up and put his hands on both sides of Marko’s face. “I don’t know how we are going to get out of this, but we will. I’m not going anywhere without you, understand?” Marko nodded, and Ollie gently kissed him.

The men were still in mid kiss when the doctor and his guards entered the room again. Their time was up. He cleared his throat. “Going over medical procedures huh? I see how it is.” He muttered, with a disgusted look on his face. “Can we please get on with this? If we wait any longer, the person waiting for her to get out of surgery might get suspicious, and I am sure that New West won’t like anyone poking around in their business.”

Marko let go of Ollie and smiled. The guards opened the doors for the men as they exited the observation room and headed towards surgery. As they approached the double doors leading into the operating room, Marko stopped dead in his tracks and clicked his tongue. “Ah I just remembered that I need a new cranial interface sensor for the procedure. There is one back in the lounge with the rest of my things, would you all mind if I sent my colleague back to get it for me?”

Ollie’s eyes widened as he subtly shook his head at Marko. The doctor gave them both a suspicious look, and then sighed. “Alright, he can go, but take one of the guards with you and make it back here double time!” He shouted. “I want to get this over with.”

“Marko…” Ollie groaned. He instantly knew what Marko was planning. His eyes looked to him desperately. “Don't...do this.”

“I am a bit forgetful at times.” Marko looked at the guard and the doctor who were rapidly losing patience, avoiding Ollie's accusing stare. “I am going to go in there and get started. By the time you get back, I should be ready for the sensor.” He swallowed hard, obviously trying to hide his true emotions. Marko knew that what he was doing was dangerous, stalling the New West men, but he had to send Ollie away; he didn’t want him to get punished for mistakes that he had made. He looked directly into Ollie’s eyes. “Please do as I ask, and don't forget to read those medical notes I gave you before you scrub in.” With those words, he turned and walked away from Ollie, pushing the large metal doors of the operating room open. He could hear Ollie’s heart breaking behind him.

Taking a long, deep breath, he entered the room and, ignoring the doctor and the remaining guard and went over to where the unconscious woman was and examined her. Still attached to the monitors and IV poles, the team of previous surgeons had done a wonderful job of fusing the broken bones of her arm together. Ollie had mentioned that she was a musician, and as Marko looked at the massive line of stitches running from her wrist to her elbow, he wondered if she would ever be able to play again. Music always had a special place in Marko’s heart. Even though he was forced into the medical field by his family, he always felt drawn to music. Meeting Ollie only confirmed that feeling. The notes that Ollie played on guitar were only rivaled with the words that he secretly wrote down in his journal. Poetry set to music, the creation of songs that no one would ever hear. Marko never told Ollie about the lyrics that he wrote, they were kept private, fearing that they would be never up to Ollie’s standards, so he kept the journal hidden, but always close to him. Now Ollie had it, and he would find a way to escape the guard that was with him and get out of the hospital. That’s how things had to go, all he had to do was keep the guard and doctor occupied enough for it all to happen. Ollie had to get out at all costs.

Leaning over the woman, Marko noticed something peculiar and moved the overhead light down to get a better look at it. There were light purplish marks on her shoulders and the side of her neck. Curious, he pulled down the white sheet that was covering up her body and found a pattern of even darker bruises marring her chest and ribs. He looked up to the doctor who had been speaking quietly to the guard. “How did this woman break her arm? Was she assaulted?”

The doctor turned around slowly. “That’s none of our business, now is it? We’re just here to follow orders, as you should be doing right now, so you better get started.”

Pulling the blanket back over the woman, Marko pulled off his gloves. “No. I won’t operate on a patient who has unknown trauma. If I insert the New West implant in a brain that might have damage to it, there is a possibility that it’s going to malfunction.” He gestured to the body in front of him. “Look at her, she’s obviously been abused by someone, and it was done here by someone on staff, or someplace else. Now I am not saying any of you touched her, but if you’re not willing to give me information otherwise, then I am going to have to assume the worst and report this, and delay the installation of the device.”

Storming across the operating room, the doctor approached Marko and faced him toe to toe. “I think you’re stalling.”

A smile crept over Marko’s face. “Is that what you think? Does New West pay you to be suspicious?”

“Yes.” The doctor said flatly.

“Well in that case, since you are so certain that you’re right, I’ll just go ahead and start here.” Marko picked up a new pair of plastic gloves and slid them on, snapping the latex loudly. “I will make sure to put it in my notes that you were the one who suggested that I go ahead with the surgery with little regard to unreported injuries and why the implant device failed. I am sure that it won't fail, or become disturbed anyway by her injures, right, since you're so certain.” Grabbing the scalpel, Marko motioned for the man to move. “If you kindly step out of the way so I can get started.” He lowered the blade down to the woman’s temple but before he could make an incision, the doctor grabbed his hand.

“I’ll get her medical chart.” The doctor grumbled, letting go of Marko’s wrist.

“Good man.” Marko beamed and watched him head toward the door.

Before the doctor left the room, he yelled over to the guard. “You! Stand outside of this room until I return. No one enters or leaves got it?” The security guard nodded and followed the doctor outside. Marko was alone with the unconscious patient.

“I don’t know what happened to you, but I am going to make sure that nothing else does. We’re going to get out of here, both of us.” He said quietly to her. Rushing around the room, Marko went from cabinet to cabinet, pulling each of the shelves out and examining the contents carefully. After a few unsuccessful tries, he let out a cry of triumph; he had found what he was looking for. Adrenaline. Pulling out a syringe, he filled it to the maximum safe dosage to bring a patient around. He had to get the woman up and her on feet as fast as he could. Ollie would have made contact with the inside person and be on his way out of the hospital by now, if he managed to slip away from the guard. He wouldn’t be very much further ahead, and if he were lucky, Marko would be able to catch up with the two of them in no time. That was if the woman didn’t hinder him too much. He only considered leaving her behind for one brief moment, and then completely tossed that idea away. New West wanted her implanted for a reason, and he was completely sure that it wasn’t because she was a simple musician. She had to have a connection to something important, or perhaps something that was a threat to the organization. It was just a matter of finding out what it was. She could be a valuable tool that he could use against New West if they pursued him and Ollie, so he wanted to be sure that she was safe. The most important reason though, to not leave her behind was simply because she was a person, and not some lab rat to be experimented on and then tossed in the trash. Marko had a conscience.

Finding the insertion point of her IV tube, Marko shoved the needle into it, pushing the plunger down and releasing the chemicals into the saline flow. He waited anxiously for a few seconds, tapping his foot on the concrete floor for the drug to take effect, and trying not to think of Ollie. Time was at a minimum now, and any second the doctor and his guard could return, foiling his plan. There was a slight movement from the woman on the gurney and Marko looked down at her. Her eyelids were fluttering. He immediately started to remove the monitors and IV lines from her arm as she came around. “Hey are you there? Wake up, hurry please.”

Whimpering, the woman stirred groggily. “…..huh…”

Knowing that he didn’t have much time, Marko ripped the sheets away from her and sat her body upright, dressing her in his lab coat. “We got to get out of here, okay, and I need you to work with me. I know you’re all dizzy and dazed at the moment, but we can’t waste a single minute. He shifted her into a sitting position and buttoned the coat to give her some modesty. Her head lulled back and her arms flailed, she was nothing more than a over sized doll, ragged and limp. The medicine was taking too long to work. Lightly tapping her cheeks, Marko began to panic. “Hey hey… stay with me here. Wake up. What’s your name?”

“Umm...Siobhan.” She mumbled. The room was spinning, and with the addition of the large dose of adrenaline, she was becoming nauseous. “I’m gonna be sick.” Turning pale, she leaned over the side of the gurney, wobbling.

Marko rushed over and held her up. “No, you’re not!” He pointed toward the door. “There are people out there who want to hurt you, er… both of us now actually, so we’ve got to get out of here. I can’t do it on my own. I need you to try and stand up so we can walk together out of here. These people won’t hesitate on killing us if they know we’re trying to escape. Now I can get away on my own, but I don’t want to leave you here, so I really need you to put out an effort here and stand the fuck up!” Pulling her down off the stretcher, Marko placed her bare feet on the floor. She hesitated for a moment, shaking but quickly found her footing. He breathed a sigh of relief. “Now put your arm around my shoulders and lets start walking...sorry for swearing.”

With great effort, Siobhan did as she was told, slipping her uninjured arm around Marko’s neck and keeping the other one tucked tightly against her chest. Taking a small step forward, Marko tested to see if the woman was going to be able to stand, and much to his surprise, she was able to hold her own weight. “Thank the gods!” He muttered.

They moved toward the door together and were about to exit the operating room when Siobhan suddenly stopped. Her eyes shot open as wide as they could be and she grabbed the front of Marko’s shirt. “Stop! We can’t leave!” She cried.

Holding her body against his, Marko tried to ease her forward, but she refused to budge. She planted her feet on the cold floor and stood completely still. “What?” he snapped. “Miss, I don’t think you realize how much danger we are in here. It's not like I am stealing their lunch money or anything, I am outright betraying their trust and giving them the middle finger. The way that they deal with traitors isn't very nice, I can assure you of that, so if you don't mind, can we please get moving again?”

Her eyes wide with fear, she looked to Marko. He could see the intense fear there. “No. They are going to kill Brock!”

A sudden high-pitched scream broke the silence of midnight and interrupted Travis from his sleep. Springing into action, he threw on a pair of pants, stumbling and nearly falling over as he slipped his legs into them and staggered toward the door. Pressing the palm of his hand on the sensor, it slid open and he stepped out into the dull amber colored lights of the hall. Hurrying as fast as he could and ignoring the pain of the bits of stones and broken rubble from the floor that seemed to find their way right between his toes, he ran as fast as he could to the source of the screaming. Throwing his hand on the sensor, he waited impatiently for it to open, but the panel remained flashing red, and the door remained sealed. Cursing, he pressed his hand to it again, this time more forcibly, but it still would not open. In the room beyond, the little girl’s screams turned to sobs. “Ember, Ember honey it’s alright. I’m here. The door is stuck again; can you please let me in?” Listening intently, Travis soon heard the patter of small feet on the bare floor approach the door and then it opened to reveal Ember standing before him, her eyes all red and swollen from crying.

He knelt down and wrapped his arms around her. “Another bad dream?” Ember nodded. She instantly dropped the disheveled blue teddy bear that she had been carrying in her hand and sniffled against his chest. Travis could feel an unnatural heat emanating from her skin through the thin material of the pajamas that he had found which were much too large for the small child. He immediately placed a hand on her forehead and frowned. “You’re burning up, let’s get you back to bed.”

Gently lifting the little girl into his arms, she whimpered, pointing down to the floor. “Don’t forget Benny.”

Confused, Travis looked down at the blue teddy bear at his feet. Still holding onto Ember, he slowly bent down and picked it up. The poor animal was caked with dust and dirt, missing a ear and eye, and smelled slightly of mold. “Ember, where did you find this?”

“Downstairs.” She yawned.

Carrying her over to the bed, Travis gently laid her down, but did not return the toy. Sitting on the edge of her bed, he clutched it in his hand examining it intently. “You know that you’re not supposed to be down there. We don’t know who lived in this place before us, and those lower levels could have lots of bad stuff in it, that’s why I keep telling you to stay up here. Why did you go down there?”

Ember pulled the bear away from Travis and slipped it underneath the blankets with her. “Because there was a little boy calling me. He said that he needed help. I went to look for him.”

Travis felt his stomach turn. Ever since they found themselves stranded on this planet, they had been pursued and hunted by horrible creatures that stalked their every move. Scavenging for food and water was troublesome enough, but to be chased by animals that were ready to rip you apart the moment you stopped moving was even more difficult. Traveling with a child added to the burden. Trying to find the remnants of radio towers to send a signal back home, Travis found himself having to stop frequently to let Ember rest, or else risk exhausting himself by carrying her on his shoulders. There was no way that he would let anything happen to her. He made a promise to Scott and he was going to keep it, no matter what. Not having any real experience dealing with children, Travis did his best to comfort the little girl, and pretend that he could be strong enough for the both of them. The incredible heat and raging winds didn’t help either. For weeks the duo stumbled across the barren wastelands, eating bits of nasty smelling discarded meat or gurgling up something that barely resembled water, nearly to the point of giving up when they found the abandoned military base. Positioned in the middle of nowhere, with no natural resources around it, it didn’t seem to be real at first. Even more concerning was that when Travis approached the main door and found the fingerprint panel, it recognized him and opened right up. Weighing the dangers of what might be inside versus the heartless creatures that stalked the dunes outside, he made a quick decision to investigate the building and possibly use it as shelter.

Over a year had passed now, and Travis and Ember found themselves doing well as could be expected. A cache of much needed dried food and bottled water assured them that they wouldn’t succumb to hunger or thirst, and it was a godsend to be able to sleep in a actual bed at night. His days were filled with exploring the top level of the base, where all the necessities were, while trying to scrounge together enough electronic parts to build a radio to call for help, all while keeping a eye on a anxious 6 year old. Eventually he came across a personal room filled with art supplies. Ember instantly fell in love with it. Travis was more than happy to leave her there during the day to joyfully sketch away in the large over-sized sketchbooks and even paint huge murals on the walls. Even more discovering led him to another larger personal room, set apart from the rest, in the back of the base, which housed a even greater treasure, a beautifully kept black lacquer acoustic guitar with red highlights. After the day was done, he would prepare them both dinner from the dried food that was stored away, and then spend some time watching Ember draw while he sat and strummed the guitar. Eventually he started keeping a notebook of songs that popped in his head so that when he got back home he could record them with Scott. He drew a large “V” on the cover of the book, which Ember then colored in with her markers. It was the most brilliant thing he had ever seen. There were shades of green, orange and yellows that all blended into one beautiful image. One day, while playing, he looked down at the red-haired little girl in front of him as a wave of sadness overcame him. In the dim light, she looked so much like Scott that it made his chest hurt. The two men only had a short time together before the incident happened, and now Travis found himself regretting being so timid and shy around the man that he loved. Scott loved with his whole heart, and never held anything back, while Travis was always a bit apprehensive and worried what others might think of him. The best part about it though was the fact that Ember accepted them both as a father, and understood that love is love, no matter how you look at it. In a way, Travis was grateful that he ended up in his desolate place with the little girl. If she had gone out alone, she would have perished quickly.

Straightening up Ember’s pillow, Travis spoke softly to her. “You heard a little boy calling you?”

She nodded. “mmm hmm”

Travis noted the tiny beads of sweat forming on her forehead. Ember was running a fever and probably hallucinating. “And you went downstairs, did you find him?”

“No.” She mumbled. “Just the teddy bear and a bunch of computers.”

Travis’s eyes widened. “Computers! Ember, what level were you on and how did you get down there?”

Ember yanked the blankets away from him and pulled them up over her head. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore. Can I have some water?”

Gently, Travis wiggled the material free from her small hands and pulled the blanket back away from her. “Of course, I will get you a drink, and you can go back to bed love, you can even keep the teddy bear if you want, but first please tell me what level you were on and how you got down that far? The tunnels are all collapsed or barricaded, there’s no possible way.” Travis felt bad for bribing her, withholding the drink she wanted, but he had to have answers. The computers could be the solution to all their problems, if they still worked. He was worried, though about what may possibly be down in the lower levels. Early on one night, he heard something that sounded like gurgling coming from one of the far corridors and immediately blocked it off. Whatever it was, he didn't want to run into it. After that, there were no other sounds.

Letting out a small sigh, Ember looked at Travis and frowned. “Promise you won’t be mad?”

Travis smiled at her and drew an invisible cross over his chest. “Cross my heart.”

“I was in here coloring. He started calling my name, telling me to come find him. I asked him where he was, and he said ‘in the basement’. So I asked him how do I find him, and he said to take the elevator.” Ember turned away from Travis, trying to hide her guilty expression. “I know you said to stay away from the places that you boarded up, but the little boy said he needed me! I.. I… broke off some of the boards from the elevator down the hall a little bit, and crawled in. When I did, the doors opened for me! Woosh!” Spreading her arms wide, Ember mimicked the action of the steel doors opening up.

His emotions all over the place, Travis tried his best to keep his composure. He knew exactly what door she was referring to. It was one of the first ones he had boarded up after hearing the strange noises at night. The doors were made of incredibly thick metal, and had been sealed shut by a long dead electronic lock. Blueprints that he found showed the elevator as the main entry way for the prisoner detainment and interrogation center, which could only be accessed with a high level key card, not a fingerprint scan. There was nothing down there that could possibly be of use to him, or so he thought, and boarded it up straight away. “Ember, are you sure that’s how you got in?”

“Yes. The doors opened right up! I went inside and it took me all the way down, no stops. I thought my tummy had butterflies in it, it went so fast! When I got down there, it opened up to a big round room with computers everywhere. It was so dusty and dirty, I sneezed like… a million trillion times. There was nothing else in there, except for the blue teddy. I tried to find the little boy, but all the rooms down there were empty, no fun at all, so I came back up here.” Ember’s eyes shifted. “Travis, am I in trouble?”

“No love. You’re not. Just promise me that you won’t ever leave this floor again, and if you hear something, you come and get me right away, no matter what I am doing alright? I just want you to be safe.”

Ember nodded. “When we get back home, will you teach me how to play guitar, Travis?”

Startled by her random question, Travis smiled warmly at her, even though her question broke his heart. She was so looking forward to going home and seeing her father, he didn’t want to crush her hopes by telling her that it may never happen. “Why don’t we start tomorrow? That way when they come to rescue us, you can surprise your daddy and play him a song. I bet he would love that.”

Ember lit up with excitement. “Really? Can I do one of the new songs that you’ve been writing down?”

“Anything you want, Em.” After the words left his lips, Travis shuddered, realizing what he had said. Only Scott called her by the shortened form of her name. It was a privilege that she only allowed her father to have, anyone else annoyed her with it. He waited for the scolding that she was about to give him, but none came, instead, she half smiled and looked up at him lovingly through sleepy eyes. Breathing a sigh of relief, Travis leaned in to give her a kiss on the forehead. Her skin was so hot. He started to worry. She trusted him now more than ever, and it was his duty to take care of her, she depended on him. He had only explored the top level of the facility, and up to this point he hadn’t discovered any medical area or medicine at all. If she were to get sicker, there was no way that he could treat her, not without the proper supplies. He knew what he had to do, he had to get the elevator back open to access the computers and call for help. Someone would be listening, they just had to be.

After getting her a drink, Travis curled up in bed next to the little girl, draped his arm over her and fell into a fitful sleep, filled with terrible dreams. At some point, he woke up and couldn’t force himself to shut down again. He stared at the wall, listening to the sound of Ember breathing, and the eerie silence that surrounded them, but no matter how hard he tried, sleep would not come to him. Resigning himself to being fully awake now, he slipped silently out of the bed and neatly folded the blankets back over Ember. He looked down to see that she had curled her body around the ragged teddy bear, clutching its paws in her hand. A shiver ran down his spine.

Giving her one more kiss, Travis walked barefoot out of her room and into the hall. Yawning, he briefly considered going back to his own room to try and sleep, but his eyes happen to wander to the far end of the corridor where the boarded up elevator remained dormant. Curious, he walked over to it, kicking up dust that had collected on the unused passage way for weeks, making it cling thickly to the bottom of his feet. Looking down, he saw another set of footprints there, Embers, both going into and coming out of the elevator. He examined the wooden boards that he had screwed into the concrete wall, they were strong as ever and showed no signs of deterioration. Bending down, he saw the space where Ember had crawled through where the boards were missing. Not quite understanding how a little girl her size could have pulled out heavy wooden boards which were secured into concrete with thick screws, Travis reached out and grabbed hold of a random board and gave it a strong tug. As he pulled on the wood, the steel screws which were deeply inset into the walls slipped loose without any hesitation. They offered no resistance, and slid out as easy as pulling a plastic straw out of a glass. Bits of dust and concrete poured down onto the floor as the board easily came free, almost causing Travis to lose his balance. “What the hell?” He muttered. Tossing the board aside, he grabbed another one, and yanked it off just as easily, sending more dust and debris into the air. Getting a closer look at the holes, he could see that the concrete which the wood was nailed into was crumbling, disintegrating into a fine powder that would clearly never hold a barricade in place. The once thick, indestructible walls of the base were falling apart, cracking at the seams, but he couldn’t figure out what was causing it. They were indoors, it couldn’t be weather damage. There had been no earthquakes or tremors to damage the structure, it was as though the walls in this particular part of the base were just eroding away, torn apart by some unknown force or cancer from within.

Frustrated that his attempt at securing the place had been thwarted, Travis angrily pulled the remainder of the boards out, exposing the thick metal doors of the elevator. The LED panel on the front remained dark and lifeless, keeping those cold steel doors shut tightly. Using his fingers, he gently tapped on the key card reader installed on the front, but nothing happened. If it wasn’t for the fact that Ember’s footprints led into and out of the elevator, he would have sworn that she was making the whole thing up, and the teddy bear was found elsewhere in the base. Deciding that he was way too tired and not mentally awake enough to deal with the mystery door, Travis turned around and headed back down the hallway. Tomorrow was another day; he could look into it then. Also he was starting to feel cold, and realized he was a fool for running out of his room without a shirt.

Upon reaching his room, he glanced back at the elevator and frowned. Subconsciously, he didn’t want to go down there, he had seen the schematics for the floor and every single room down there was well secured. The people who had inhabited the base before him had wanted to keep whatever was down there sealed up and secluded away from the rest of the populace, and he didn’t want to mess with it. Still, he was curious, and needed to know. If there really were computers down there, even basic ones long since outdated, he knew that he could make them work, and use them to get rescued. It was all a matter of getting over the fear in his head. Fear of failure and fear of what might be lurking down there.

Giving up for the night, Travis flopped into bed, deciding to give it another try. In the morning, he would check on Ember first thing and make sure that she was alright before venturing off into the unknown. She had to be safe first, that was the most important thing. Going over the tasks for the next day in his head, Travis soon found his eyes heavy and he was incredibly tired. Pleased that the period of insomnia was over, he pulled up the blankets and prepared for sleep. Moments after his eyes closed, he heard a light knock at his door. Thinking it was his overactive imagination, he rolled over and tried to sleep, when the knocking started again. He sat up in bed. “Ember is that you?” The knocking stopped but there was no response. Grabbing a shirt, Travis yanked it over his head and pulled himself out of bed, running his hands over his face trying to wake up. He was upset before that he couldn’t sleep, and now he was irritated that he wanted sleep but was interrupted. Ember needed him, so he had no right to complain. Scott had been a father and been through all of this for years, and Travis felt that he needed to learn it too. It was all part of being a family. Forcing himself up out of the bed, he made his way over to the door. “I am sorry I left while you were sleeping, but I just couldn’t fall back asleep, and didn't want to disturb you. Why don’t you come in here and curl up in my bed? I promise that I won’t go anywhere this time.” Putting his hand on the sensor, Travis groggily watched as the door slid open, but Ember wasn’t there. No one was. Leaning outside, he blinked a few times and glanced around, she simply wasn’t there. “Ember?” No answer. Looking down the hall toward her room, he scratched his head in confusion. She had small legs, if she was playing a prank on him to knock and run, there was no place she could run to but her own room, and that was several feet down the hall, much too far for her to run in that short amount of time. For the second time Travis found himself heading back toward her room and checking up on her. He found her still asleep in her bed, undisturbed. Standing alone in the hall, Travis suddenly heard a sound that send chills down his spine. It was the laughter of a child, echoing down the corridor, coming from the elevator. Slowly, he made is way back over to it, and stopped dead in his tracks a short distance away from it. The doors were open.

Undecided on what to do, Travis edged his way to the metal doors, staring in awe at the key card panel that was now brightly illuminated. He wasn’t sure about entering, for fearing that it would descend and leave him down there all alone, but he recalled Ember telling him that she went down and made it back up successfully. Still, there was a voice in the back of his mind telling him that this didn’t feel right, and that he was being led someplace. Either way, his sense of duty to Ember and curiosity won out over his better judgment, and he decided that the risk was worth it if he could just get to the computers that were waiting dormant down below.

Without bothering to return to his room to get anything to use for self defense, Travis stepped into the elevator and looked for a control panel, but there was none. In the place where a usual array of floor selecting buttons should be was a smooth, unremarkable silver panel, shiny and bright without anything on it. While he was examining it, the doors slid shut and the elevator car began to move downward. As it descended, there was a collection of various metallic sounding grating and grinding noises that made it sound like the car he was riding in was falling apart. He gripped the metal handrail on the back wall for support, and prayed that it held together just long enough to get him to a floor. Travis traveled downwards for several anxious minutes, the elevator taking him deep into the heart of the base, and then stopped. The lights flickered for a few moments and then the doors jerked open with a loud creak.

The air in the room which he exited to was thick and filled with tiny specks of dust that hung in the air all around him like snowflakes. He watched them float in the dim rays of the dull overhead lighting, hoping that it was just harmless dirt particles that surrounded him and not some strange space spores that would infect and kill him. Not letting his imagination get the best of him, he pushed on into the room. Travis’s first thought upon stepping out was that the building schematics were wrong; this clearly wasn't a prison; he was in a hospital intensive care unit. There was a large central desk, with various computers lined up on it, and a series of what looked like private patient rooms spreading out in a ‘U’ shape around it. The doors on most of the rooms were open and he could see a simple bed inside, along with the usual IV stand and various monitors along with fully stocked crash carts standing in wait. He breathed a sigh of relief. This discovery couldn’t have possibly come at a better time. At least he now had some rudimentary medical supplies which he could take upstairs in case of emergency. Surely there would be some type of medicine here that could take Ember’s fever away if it didn’t naturally subside by morning. Things were going to be alright. Making his way along the wall of doors, he then noticed that one was still shut, barred with three electronic locks that remained active. It was obvious that whatever was in there, the previous owners did not want released, and he wasn’t going to mess with that.

Turning his attention back to the computers for a moment, Travis pulled the high backed chair out from behind the console, wincing as the wheels creaked and moaned in protest over the dust covered floor. Looking at the array of controls, he realized that he had absolutely no idea how exactly to operate the system, but that wasn’t going to keep him from trying. After randomly hitting several buttons, he eventually found the one which powered up the system, and his eyes widened as the entire row of monitors and lights all lit up right in front of him in rapid succession. A quick image faded on the screen directly in the center of the console, briefly displaying some sort of logo and then disappeared before he had time to really scrutinize it. Waiting patiently as the system loaded, Travis glanced around the circle and noticed that each of the empty rooms were now fully illuminated with a flood of bright incandescent light. Only the room with the locked door remained dark, the lights still flashing, warning of the locked state. Soon the computer displayed a ready status, and he glanced at the list of options on the desktop. Most of the programs were patient diagnostic reports and applications, which were of no need to him at all, but soon he found the last icon on the list which was titled: ‘Communications’. Near to the point of elation, Travis fingers shook as he clicked on it and waited patiently. He couldn’t wait to return to Ember upstairs and tell her that they would be rescued. He didn’t know where exactly they were or how long it would take for someone to receive the message that he was about to send, but he really didn’t care. As long as he got the message out, and he knew that help was coming, that was all he needed to keep himself, and Ember going just a little bit longer.

After a few moments the program booted up and a welcome screen displayed.  
SHALLOW BAY TRANSMISSION INIATATED – Searching for available hosts please wait….  
…  
…  
.::Host Found::.

Communication successful. Connected to Terminal #### (receiver terminal shall remain anonymous for duration of session due to a authentication error. Please use discretion when sending or receiving sensitive messages, as this connection may be unsecured and monitored by others)

Travis’s fingers started to shake, hovering over the keyboard. His mind went blank for a moment, as he tried to figure out what to type. He didn't know where he was, or how they got there, how could he send a message and hope for rescue without crucial information? Would he even be speaking to another person, or just leaving a message in hopes that someone would come along and find it? There were a million things to consider, and he didn't want to merely start typing away, he had to be straight to the point and precise in his request. There was a chance that power might go out at any moment, taking away his one opportunity to get rescued, so he knew that he had to get it right. After a few moments of debating inside his head, the pressure was off, as the screen lit up and someone else started to type.

Terminal #### Hello? Who is this? How did you get this connection?

>>This is Travis Owen. I don’t know where I am. I am stranded here with a child, we need help. Please, can you get us out of here?

Terminal #### One moment Travis, let me run a scan on your location, please remain at your current terminal. Do not log off or reboot the system.

>>I’ve been here for a year, I am not going anywhere unless you come and get me.  
…  
…  
...  
Travis sat on the edge of his seat. It was ungodly quiet. He was so far down deep into the base that there were no sounds from the raging winds outside, or even the scurrying of rodents in the walls. The only noise that could be heard was that of his own heart, beating rapidly in his chest. His fingers still hung over the keys, waiting, and waiting, and waiting, growing more impatient by the moment.

Terminal #### Travis, do you recall how you got to your current location?

>>No. All I remember was that Ember ran off, and I went out to look for her, but there was this really nasty fog, and there was a man there on the street… I think I blacked out when I saw him, because I don’t remember much other than that. When I woke up I was in the desert, with Ember. She told me that he brought us here. We've been here for a year.

Terminal #### And you were on Earth?

>> Yes! Of course! Where else would we be?

Terminal #### I regret to inform you that you are no longer on Earth, you have somehow traveled to one of the most remote planets in the solar system, named Prox.

>>Another planet? There’s no such place as Prox. Are you fucking with me or what?

Terminal #### You’ve never heard of it because it is a highly classified planet that is currently under consideration for reformation by New West. I am not at liberty to discuss these matters with you over a unsecured connection, but what I can do is sent out a ship to come and get you and your girl and bring you back home. Upon reaching earth, you will both need to undergo a interrogation and briefing about your ordeal on Prox, and what you may have encountered there. Afterwards, you will need to sign a nondisclosure statement saying that you will not divulge any information about Prox to anyone in the future. The penalty for breaking that promise is quite severe, I can assure you.

Travis sighed and shook his head as he stared at the terminal. He couldn't believe the audacity of the person on the other end of the computer, giving him rules. There were two lives on the line here, one of which was a child, how could this person be so cold as to basically give him a 'fine print' warning on their rescue. It wasn't right, but he had no other choice in the matter. The stranger could have asked him for his left leg, and Travis would have gladly given it.

>> I just want to go home.

Terminal #### I can help you with that, as long as you agree to our terms.

>> Geez, I tell you I’ve been stranded on some deserted planet for over a year and I am begging you to come rescue me and all you want to do is talk about liability and shit? These New West people must be real assholes. I've got a kid here!

Terminal #### I am not at liberty to discuss New West, or Prox with you. I have your coordinates now, I can send a ship out within the hour and it will be at the front door to the base by morning. All you need to do is confirm with me. Y or N Otherwise this communication will be terminated and all others will be refused.

Travis felt is stomach churn. He didn’t like the way that the conversation was going. His index finger lightly tapped the Y key but didn’t commit to pushing it. The screen lit up again, only this time it was showing news reports from various sources, TV stations, social media, newspaper clippings, all of which were related to their disappearance. The person on the other end of the connection began to type again, their letters in stark white font over each of the missing reports.

Terminal #### Travis Owen. I pulled your file, I know who you are. Scott has been looking for you and Ember every day since you vanished. He’s falling apart without you, without both of you. As you can see, there are false reports going around claiming that you’ve kidnapped the girl. Some go as far to say that you’ve molested and killed her.

Travis slammed his hand down on the desk.

>>That’s bullshit! I would never do that!

Terminal #### Then let us help you. All we ask is your silence in the matter of Prox. A few signed papers, and you and the girl can go home. We are a very powerful organization, we can even help to clear your name and get some of these misleading articles permanently removed. You’ve spent a year there on that planet, scrounging around for food, wasting away looking for water, trying to make it through one more day. Don’t you think enough is enough. We want to help you. We are asking so little, only your silence about Prox and everything you've seen here. In return, we will also assist you and the girl into returning to a normal life, providing you both with a more suitable excuse for your absence. Your name will be cleared.

>>You want us to lie?

Terminal #### Every single person lies to themselves in one way or another, Travis. It's in our basic human nature to do so. Most lies are told to cover up something shameful or deceitful, in this case, your lie will save your own life, and that of the child as well.

Feeling his eyes start to sting from staring at the monitor, Travis rubbed them. He felt as though he had just been threatened.

>>Okay okay, I will agree to whatever you guys want. Just please…. Please help us. Get us out of here.

Terminal #### Help is being dispatched to your location now. They will arrive in 12 hours. I highly suggest that you are ready to go when they land. Prox is at the outer rim of the solar system and fuel for a round trip is at a minimum, so the extraction will need to be quick. Please listen to and follow the directions of the Commander and do so without questions. Your cooperation will make things go much easier and you can get home faster this way. Do you have any questions?

>>Yeah. I have lots, but I guess it can wait until tomorrow. We will be ready.

Terminal #### This communication will end now. I will see you 12 hours.

.:SHALLOW BAY COMMUNCATION TERMINATED:.

Leaning his head back in the chair, Travis ran his fingers through his hair and down over his face. He couldn’t believe it, it was almost over. They were going home. At long last, he would be able to see Scott again and tell him exactly how much he missed him. He knew that Scott would never believe the kidnapping rumors, and when Travis walked in the door with Ember in his arms, they would all just go away and be forgotten about forever, they would start all over again, this time as a real family. He would even ask Scott to marry him and make it official, then Ember could call him daddy and have it really mean something.

Lost in a moment of elation, Travis jumped up out of the chair and let out a loud cry. He ran around the computer console and slipped back in the elevator, preparing to ascend, when his eyes fell on the sealed door. All the electronic locks now were glowing green, displaying a ‘unlocked’ notification on the card reader screen. Whomever he had spoken to on the computer must have somehow hacked into the system and remotely unlocked the door behind him. Debating on whether to go back in and take a look, or proceed upstairs, he heard the sound that he heard before, of a child crying. It was coming from the sealed room. Suddenly concerned, he took a step to get back out of the elevator, when the doors slammed shut in front of him and the car started to rise, taking away the opportunity to investigate the sound. There were no buttons to push, nothing to stop it, so he could do nothing but let it finish the ride. Upon reaching the top, he stepped out and then back in, hoping that a sensor or something would be triggered and return him to the bottom. Nothing happened. Soon, the doors shut and all the lights turned off, leaving the elevator once again dark and lifeless. There was no way back downstairs. Leaning his head against the steel doors, Travis listened and could just vaguely make out the sound of the little boy crying, but it was getting weaker and further away by the moment. Within a few minutes, it stopped completely, leaving Travis in silence again. Was it all just in his head, or was there someone else down there, locked away in that room? Whatever it was, it couldn't possibly be real. Slowly, he made his way back to Ember’s room, convincing himself the entire time that he was just hearing things, and found her sleeping soundly. He sat on the edge of her bed, watching her with the old moldy teddy bear. His mind wandered for a moment, thinking about what he had seen and heard. He didn’t have any answers for the multitude of questions that kept popping up in his mind. Thinking back to the brief conversation with his unknown rescuer, he decided that it was best to keep quiet and not say a word. Revealing that there was possibly another person trapped might impede his own rescue and only way that the two of them would get back safe and sound to Earth is with discretion. At this point, Travis knew that the best thing he could do was conveniently ‘forget’ to mention it, to the rescuer and to Ember. After all, chances are that there really wasn’t a kid down there… at least that’s what he kept telling himself as he curled up into a ball next to Ember and fell asleep.

The morning brought one of the worst sandstorms with it that Travis had ever seen. Shortly before the 12 hour deadline, he woke up Ember and got her dressed, and together the two of them made their way to the entrance of the base and managed to get the doors open once again. The wind and sand blew in, as they slammed into the thick walls, thrashing their hoods and scarves around their faces and obscuring their vision. Having no choice, they retreated back into the tunnel, out of the elements, but kept a watchful eye on the harsh desert beyond for any signs of movement. Travis sat down on the floor, watching the sand slowly start to creep in and Ember came to sit on his lap.

“Are we really going home?” She asked for the 20th time since waking up.

“Yes.” Travis answered, pulling the scarf away from his face so that he could smile at her. He pointed out to the horizon. “They are going to be sending a ship, it should be coming from that direction, and I bet it’s something fancy, right out of a star wars movie. Are you excited to see it?”

Ember shook her head. “No. I don’t want to go on a ship. Why can’t the man come and get us like before? He took my hand and whooshed me here.”

Travis looked at the little girl curiously. In all the time that they had been there, on Prox, she had never mentioned the man that brought them there, even when questioned about it, until now. “Ember, what do you remember about that man?”

Plucking at a loose stitch from the teddy bear she was still holding on to, she sighed. “He told me that we were safe here, and we weren’t supposed to leave. Something bad was going to happen back home that the grown ups had to deal with. All the children were going to be here, and he was going to watch over us. I don't know what happened to him, why he didn't come...maybe something happened to him...You weren’t supposed to be here, but I was so scared, I didn't want to go by myself, so he said that he would let you come along to look after me, until he got back from getting the others.” A single tear rolled down her cheek. “I am sorry. I didn’t want to be alone. It's my fault that you are here.”

Horrified, Travis reached out and drew her into his arms. “Hey, it’s alright. I told your dad that I would look out for you no matter what happens, so you aren’t the one to blame. I would have followed you anyway. We are a family, we look out for each other. It’s over and done with now, we’re going home.” Travis wiped her tears away with a grimy sleeve. He couldn’t wait to get back to earth and get a decent shower. He noticed that she was shaking like a leaf. “Come on now, you can’t be that scared of flying?” Pulling out the black and red guitar from the makeshift bag he made for it, he held it out for her to see. “I’ll make you a deal. If you be brave and strong, then I will make the trip go a little faster and play some new music for you? I know how much you love to listen to the stuff that I write, so I will play for you and you can make up the words for me? Is that a good deal or what?”

Ember didn’t smile, but nodded. Satisfied with the talk, Travis stood up and went to the edge of the entrance of the facility. The storms raged on outside, growing in intensity just as the skies opened up and a small ship descended down onto the ground, sending sand into his eyes. Turning away for a moment, Travis ran back and grabbed Ember, hoisting her up onto his hip. With one hand, he held tightly onto her, the other, the neck of the guitar. The loud humming of the ship died down a bit, taking with it the worst of the sand storm, and Travis stepped forward to meet their savior. Struggling to see out into the desert, he felt a thud on his shoulder that nearly knocked him into a wall, when a rush of black clad soldiers slammed into him, forcing both him and Ember out of their path. Unconcerned with the two of them, they moved past the duo and into the base without a word, disappearing into the corridors. Confused, Travis looked out to the ship again, to see a man dressed in desert gear with crimson colored goggles approach them. Standing in front of Travis and Ember, he held out his hand in greeting. “Travis Owen is it?” He asked, pulling down his face mask and hood. He appeared to be a younger man, in his early 30’s perhaps with a choppy, uneven hair cut and thick blacked rimmed glasses. The loose folds of his clothing whipped about in the wind. “I am the one you spoke to last night on the computer. Dustin Bates. Glad to finally meet you.”

Not bothering with the hand shake, Travis gestured in the direction of where the soldiers had marched off to and gave him a suspicious stare. “What’s going on here? Who are they? I thought that you were just coming to rescue us? There seems to be more to it than bringing us back to earth.” Hearing the tone in his voice, Ember pressed herself harder against Travis’s chest. “Are you military? Is there something in there toxic that I should know about?”

Dustin waved his hand in a dramatic flourish. “Ah nothing to concern yourself with there, Mr. Owen. The less you know, the better. They will be finished with their task shortly. It doesn't concern you, and you can rest assured that both you and Ember are not in any danger at all. It's merely a...” Dustin hesitated, clearly looking for a proper word in his head that could soothe Travis's concerns. “Formality... just tying off some lose ends before we go back to Earth.” Speaking of which, shall we get the two of you on board so that we can take off as soon as they return. Time is of the essence here. I trust you got everything you need and are ready to go?”

“I’ve got all I need right here.” Travis replied, giving Ember a quick kiss on the head. She refused to pull away from him, or turn and look at Dustin, choosing to hide her face in the grimy material of Travis’s jacket and keep her arms wrapped around his neck.

Dustin nodded. “This way please.” Pulling his hood up, he stepped back out into the sand storm and hesitated, waiting for Travis and Ember to follow him. Travis waited a moment, carrying Ember and the guitar made things a little but cumbersome, but she refused to let go of him, so he did the best that he could, holding on to both of them as they crossed out of the base through the storm and onto the ship. By the time that the ascended the platform, his arms were on fire; his muscles complaining painfully with all the stress. Travis made a mental note to get back to the gym when he got home.

Dustin Bates ushered them to metal seats next to one another the in passenger area. As they sat down, he pointed toward the large thick straps that hung down from the shoulder area of the chairs. “I do apologize but this is the only craft that could make this distance at this time so we had to improvise. It’s actually a cargo ship, not meant for carrying passengers so we have to make due. When we take off there is a massive amount of force back here because of the reverse thrust needed to ascend, so we have to ask that you strap yourselves in, for safety reasons.” Travis looked at him suspiciously. “Not to worry, they will unlock as soon as we are in space and on our way back to Earth.”

“Can Benny be buckled in?” Ember piped up.

Turning is attention to her, Dustin smiled at her, as she held the blue teddy bear up to him. “Of course he can, here, sit down and I will strap him in right next to you.”

Travis watched Dustin buckle in the teddy bear, and then Ember as well. Dustin then knelt down on the floor in front of Ember and was showing her how the lock works and was speaking softly to her about the bear. Travis’s stomach was still in knots. He looked out the window back towards the base. Dustin has warned him about being ready and on time, so why were these soldiers, or troops or whatever they were taking their time? Aware of Dustin’s attention now on him, Travis convinced himself that he was overthinking things too much, and he had to calm down and relax. They were being rescued, after all and should be grateful that they were getting to go home. This was the third time in 24 hours that he felt this odd sensation, and because nothing happened with the other two, he knew that he was in the wrong and let it go. Turning around, he sat down in the seat next to Ember, who was now holding onto the bears paw and pulled the straps over his shoulder.

“Do you need assistance with the locking mechanism?” Dustin asked gently.

“No. I got it.” Travis answered as he snapped the buckle into place. “But I have a question… what happens if…”

A loud beeping noise interrupted him. Dustin pulled out a tablet from his pocket and hit a few buttons. In the reflection of his glass lenses, Travis could see that Dustin was receiving messages from someone, probably the troops that he sent inside. From the massive amount of indecipherable text sent, there appeared to be a problem. Frowning, Dustin shoved the tablet back into his pocket. “There is a matter that I must quickly attend to. You both must remain here. The shuttle is on a timer for maximum fuel consumption. If I am not back in 10 minutes, it will take off and auto pilot you both back to Earth, all you have to do is sit back and enjoy the ride. New West is serious about keeping things on a tight schedule. I am sure that I will be back before then so… if you will excuse me.” Standing up, Dustin pulled down his goggles and wrapped the scarf around his nose and mouth, preparing to head out again.

Travis’s eyes widened. “What the actual fuck?” He tried to stand up, but was caught by the straps and forced back down into his seat. “You can’t leave us like this!”

“You are almost in the home stretch of being rescued, Travis. If I were you, I wouldn't make a fuss or question the actions of those who are trying to be your saviors and rescue you. So calm down and be patient.” Dustin buttoned his coat and headed down the corridor towards the exit without another word.

Deep inside the Shallow Bay, Dustin Bates stormed through the halls like a mad man. The thin layer of sand that had built up on his coat flying off as it trailed out behind him. His heavy boots clomped on the floor, warning the others of his presence. As he descended down the elevator shaft and into the medical wing, he immediately began to shout at the black clad troops waiting there. “I gave you assholes a order. I was assured that you would follow it without question, so what the hell is going on here?”

One of the soldiers stepped forward. “It’s the locking mechanism sir, the door was open when we got here, but when we tried to enter the room, it sealed back up and it won’t let us in. We tried everything, including blasting it, but the doors are several layers of reinforced steel and just deflect our shots.”

Dustin pushed the guard away. “Oh for fucks sake. Move.” Hurrying over to the panel, he pulled out a key card and slid it into the lock. The light once again flashed from red to green. The soldiers moved forward and Dustin waved an arm in front of them. “Since you jerks screwed up your one single task, I don’t trust you to finish the mission so I will just do it myself. New West will hear about this. Out of the way, losers.” Parting the troop of black clad men, Dustin stepped forward and the doors opened for him. Immediately the smell of chemicals assaulted him and almost made him gag. Pulling the scarf up over his nose and mouth, he made his way into the room and to the unconscious patient lying on the gurney in front of him. The man was naked, strapped down at both his wrists and ankles to the bed, which was bolted into the floor. Above his head were a series of intravenous lines that ran into a cache of chemicals which were being fed directly into his veins, keeping him alive. Even though he was breathing, and the monitors showing brain activity, his body was starting to deteriorate, the chest sunken in from lack of protein, his ribs exposed and showing through layers of flesh. Dustin reached up and grabbed a handful of the intravenous tubing and gave it a quick yank, snapping it off from the feeding containers inside the walls. Immediately the alarms on the computer monitors started to go off, filling the small room with a raucous, shrill alert. Lashing out with all his strength and letting out a loud cry, Dustin pushed each of them over, sending them crashing down onto the floor where they exploded in a mix of electronic sparks and glass. As it quieted down, he returned to the hapless man on the gurney and yanked out the remainder of the tubing inserted into his body, watching in dim delight as the life giving chemicals spilled out along with trails of blood from where the needles had been inserted. Soon there was nothing left but a vulnerable, naked man dying in his sleep on a gurney in front of him. Dustin grabbed a handful of the man’s thinning black hair and yanked his lifeless head up. “As soon as I discovered Prox and it’s coordinates, I knew you’d be here. I don’t know why he didn’t kill you, or remove you from existence when he fucked us all over, but I was thankful anyway, because that meant that I got the privilege to do it. Yes, Burnley… I remember exactly what you did to me…somehow I remember. Hating you was the only thing keeping me going after all this time. Do you know what I had to do to get here? No, of course you don’t, you have been kept here, like a vegetable to rot. Well, let me tell you… I had to do some really creative thinking. I lied, I stole, hell… I even killed to get the proof I needed of Prox… but none of that matters now. New West can have this shithole planet, all I care about is ending you.” Dustin let go of Burnley’s hair, causing his head to thump loudly back onto the gurney.

Flinging open panels, it didn’t take Dustin long to find what he was looking for, a highly flammable chemical that was being used to prevent muscle atrophy. Ripping open the protective bags, he dumped the cold liquid all over the man’s comatose body. “I am going to give you the death that you should have had so long ago. This time, you will have no choice but to accept it. There’s no one here to save you anymore, Burnley.” Taking a lighter out of his pocket, Dustin walked casually over to the doors. A sinister smile crept over his face as they opened up and without even turning around, he tossed the lighter over his shoulder. Instantly, the room was ablaze with a bright blue flame. The soldiers outside watched in horror as the room became engulfed in flame, surrounding the body still lying dormant on the table. Only when the doors closed behind him did Dustin turn around. He swiped his card in the electronic lock and the lights once again flashed red. Locked. Grabbing a blaster from a startled soldier, he then aimed at the panel and pulled the trigger, destroying the lock completely. He then turned toward the computers on the desk and sent a series of bullets through them as well, leaving the room completely destroyed. He turned to the men. “Let’s get back to the ship.” Ascending back up on the elevator, Dustin took a moment to collect himself and slow his rapidly beating heart back down. It was over now, he had accomplished exactly what he set out to do, taking the life of the man that had completely ruined his. The ride to the surface of the planet was unusually long and drawn out. Dustin knew that he should be basking in glory of what he had just done, but instead he felt empty and hollow. What would happen now? Would the Shepherd be coming for him? Off in the distance, there was the sound of a man screaming.

Tapping his foot on the steel grate, Travis began to panic. What if Dustin didn’t come back? He looked over at Ember who was talking quietly to the teddy bear. At least she was blissfully unaware of the situation they were in. Taking a deep breath, Travis decided that he wasn’t going to wait any longer, and he started to pull on the straps of the seat restraint, struggling and straining underneath them. At that moment, Dustin and the soldiers returned, and Travis guiltily sank back down in his seat, trying to regain his composure. Dustin didn’t say a word to him, but instead took a seat opposite and strapped himself in. He looked a little uneasy, and a bit more paler than when he had left. There was a odd disquiet in the air now, a silence which no one wanted to break. Only a few moments before take off, one of the soldiers approached Dustin and spoke softly to him. Dustin nodded back to them and then turned to Travis.“It would seem as though we are ready to go, just a few minutes until take off. Are you going to miss Prox, Travis?” Dustin asked.

Travis snorted. “This place has been our home for the last year. We've had to fight to stay alive all this time, but we did it. We made it through. No matter where I go, as long as she's with me, that will be my home.” He said proudly, pushing Ember’s bright red hair away from her eyes. She beamed joyfully back at him.

The warning notification for take off started to sound loudly through the ship as Dustin turned his attention back towards the black clad soldier who was patiently waiting. He lowered his voice a bit as he gave the final orders to the crew. “After we break the atmosphere and we are back in space, I want you to send a message to New West.” The engines of the ship roared into life as the liftoff procedures initiated.

Ember looked at Travis nervously, and he reached out and took hold of her little hand. She was trembling, but not scared. He gave her a warm, reassuring smile and it seemed to ease her nerves a little. Looking across the aisle, Travis turned his attention back to Dustin and the man he was speaking to, trying hard to listen in to their conversation over the loud whir of the engines.

“Tell them that Prox is theirs, they can do whatever they want with the planet. The coordinates and all information pertaining to the location of it can be found on a flash drive in my office. No other copies exist anywhere.” The guard nodded to him, and started to walk away when Dustin spoke up again. “Wait.” He stopped and turned back around. “After you've send that message, I then want you to send another one.” He took a deep breath, holding it in his lungs for long moments before releasing it. “Contact the police. Inform them that they will need to meet me at the exit to the air field, I will be confessing to the crimes I've committed.”

Travis's eyes went wide. His heart stopped for a moment, not quite understand what had just been said. He moved slightly to get a good look at Dustin, pulling Ember a little closer to him. “Confessing to what?”

Avoiding looking at Travis, Dustin quickly dismissed his question. “I don't think that's any of your concern. It doesn't involve you.”

Leaning forward, Travis struggled to look around the guard who was still standing near Dustin, waiting dismissal. “Okay, I get it, you guys are all top secret and want us to keep quiet about things, but if you're in some kind of trouble with the law, I need to know about it now, because I don't want you dragging me or Ember into it. All we want to do is go home and back to our normal lives as promised. Got it?”

Dustin motioned for the guard to go away and glared at Travis sitting across from him. “For someone who was just rescued from over a year trapped on a unknown planet, you're pretty nosy, aren't you? I would think you'd be more appreciative and sit quietly, minding your own business as you were instructed to do.”

Travis scowled. “Like I said, if Ember and I get drawn into anything because of you and whatever you did, then so help me I'll....”

“You will what?” Dustin shot back. Travis remained silent, not wanting to get into a argument. “That's what I thought.” Dustin leaned back in his seat, letting his head rest against the metal shell of the ship. “If you are so curious, I will tell you anyway. After all you will probably see the story on the news in a few days, so I'll do you a favor and tell you my version of what happened before they get it all wrong.” Dustin sighed and glanced out the window. The engines were kicking up massive amounts of sand and dirt from the ground below, obscuring the view so that all he could see was the vast dull stone color blanketing the horizon. “I had to get the coordinates to Prox anyway that I could. I was obsessed with the planet, for reasons we don't need to discuss, and wouldn't stop until I found it. In my own research, I discovered the general area, but it wasn't enough to pinpoint it. My mentor, Dr. Weis was kind enough to work with me, but everything that we discovered together was inconclusive as well. All we knew was that Prox was some where in our galaxy, but we couldn't locate it. It was if it was being deliberately hidden from us... but how could you conceal an entire planet? Of course our motives for finding this place were completely different. He wanted to find it for research and scientific purposes... I needed to find it. When I realized that we weren't getting anywhere, I purposefully let some information slip out to a select group of scientists. I know it was an insane thing to do, but it was a calculated risk that I had to take. Thankfully 99% of those who saw the research notes just cast them aside as useless garbage, or atmospheric disturbances that only made it look like there was another planet out there. I got laughed at and ridiculed on a regular basis, trying to convince my fellow researchers that this planet existed, and it wasn't a mere shadow. One man, Tristan Bell was the single person who took it seriously. He started investigating the possible existence of Prox and much to my surprise, he actually discovered the location of it, but before he could do anything with the information, he died, and all his notes and files were locked away in his lab, completely useless to me. So, to bring a long story to an end, I broke into the lab with full intentions of getting what I needed and leaving without a trace, but it all went south when Thomas Bell, Tristan's well meaning son decided to choose that exact moment to go exploring. I ripped that lab apart looking for the files for hours, and couldn't find a damn thing, then this guy comes in and went right to them. I don't know how he knew where they were, or even what they were, but something inside of me snapped and I knew I had to get them from him. I didn't even consider talking to him or nicely asking him for them. It was like something inside my head went haywire, and all I could think about was getting those damn files from him.”

Travis turned pale white and his hands began to shake. He was aware of Ember tugging on his arm trying to get his attention, but he was centered and focused on Dustin's story. “Thomas Bell?” He growled at the man across from him. “Lizzie's husband? What did you do to him?”

Appearing strangely calm, Dustin reached up and adjusted his glasses. The ship was powered up now and moments from take off. “As I am sure you overheard me tell the guard, I did what I had to. I didn't really think about it. Everything moved so fast and when I saw him with those files, I felt my finger pull the trigger and saw Thomas drop to the floor before my brain even registered it. It only occurred to me what I had done when I walked over to him and saw him lying there in a puddle of blood. His eyes looked right at me, or through me, and surprisingly, I didn't feel guilty, just annoyed that he would try and take what I needed. I took the files and left. I believe that he was still breathing, but judging from the amount of blood that he lost, I knew he'd be gone within minutes. I went back to Dr. Weis lab and gathered up the material he had been working on as well, everything that pertained to Prox, however, just like Thomas, he walked in on me. I still had the gun with me... So I made sure that he wouldn't talk either. After that, I contacted New West and I cut a deal with them. They can have the planet, all it's resources, whatever they wanted it for, I don't care... but in return, I wanted to go there first. The waking nightmares and dreams were calling me here, telling me what I needed to do. Now that it's all over, I will be able to sleep at night, even if it's a prison cell or my own bed, I don't care. I am free at last. The dreams will stop.”

Rage filled Travis. Yanking at the restraint, he unlocked it and stood up, flying across the small aisle and grabbing Dustin by the front of the shirt, shaking him violently. “You son of a bitch! Thomas was my friend! How could you do that? You are a fucking murderer!” Pulling his arm back, Travis sent his fist flying into Dustin's face where it collided with his cheekbone, sending his glasses flying. “He has a wife and kid, did you know that, you asshole?” Using the fabric of Dustin's shirt, he pulled him forward, just as far as the seat restraints would go and then slammed him back against the metal wall repeatedly. “He has a goddamn family!” Balling his hand into a fist again, Travis delivered another bone shattering punch to Dustin's face, this time hitting him in the jaw. Dustin slumped forward for a moment and then slowly sat back up, spitting out blood. Travis unlocked his restraint and took a few steps away from him. “Get up.” He commanded. Dustin didn't move, but wiped the blood away from his lips with the back of his hand. Travis shouted to him again. “I SAID GET UP!”

Travis felt a light touch on his hand. Looking down at his bloody knuckles, he saw Ember standing next to him. Her eyes were filled with tears. “Travis. I want to go. I'm scared.”

Pointing at her seat, Travis snapped at the child. “Ember, this is not the time. Sit down and buckle yourself in. I have to deal with Dustin.”

“No.” Ember shook her head furiously. “I don't want you to hurt him.”

“Ember, do you hear what this man just said? He killed Tristan's daddy... and for what? A bunch of files and coordinates to Prox? I know that you're little and may not understand this, but he's nothing but a murder and a thief. He deserves to be punished for what he has done.”

“ Don't do it Travis.” Ember begged. Her eyes were red and filled with tears. “Please. You promised me that you would teach me how to play guitar, can I have a lesson now?” She scurried over to the corner of the seating area and pulled out the black and red guitar that Travis had stowed away, handing it to him. “Come sit down, I promise I will be a good student and listen to everything you say. Don't hit him anymore, you're hurting him.”

Taking his eyes off the now panting Dustin for a moment, he looked down to Ember, standing there with her bright red hair in knots framing her tear stained face, holding up the guitar with a look of desperation. His bloodied hand reached out to take it from her, just as Dustin jumped to his feet and snatched the instrument away. Ember shrieked as he took the guitar and slammed it into Travis's back. The wooden frame splintered as it impacted his spine and dropped him to his knees in a wave of pain. Taking advantage of the moment of disorientation, Dustin sprang into action and positioned himself in front of the dazed Travis, taking his turn to grab the front of his shirt, holding him stationary and began to pummel his face with a series of furious punches. A spurt of blood flew out from Travis's nose and splashed onto Ember's face. Screaming, she bolted down the corridor, anxious to get away from the awful sight. Seeing Ember flee, Travis snapped out of his stupor and grabbed Dustin's wrist, wrenching it away from his shirt and pushing him backwards with all his strength. Stronger and more agile than Dustin, Travis's small shove knocked Dustin completely off his feet, and he landed with a loud thud onto the metal floor. Travis was on him in a moment, kicking at him harder and harder, only satisfied until he felt ribs break underneath his boot. After a few moments, he stopped to catch his breath, and watched as the bruised and battered Dustin rolled over on to his side, coughing up blood.

“I should kill you.” Travis muttered. “I could save the lawyers the time of sending you to death row for months awaiting for your execution by doing it right here and now.”

Pulling himself up into a sitting position, Dustin recovered his broken glasses from where they lay on the floor and put them back on. His face was already turning blueish purple and swollen in places, he looked like he had gone ten rounds with a prize fighter. “I am aware of what I have done and am willing to accept the punishment, so if you're so willing to be my judge and executioner, then I say have at it. Go for it. I'd rather have you kill me than the Shepherd take my soul. Now that I've gotten what I wanted, this ship will return to Earth, whether I am alive or not. They have their orders and will carry them out regardless.”

Walking over to the bits of broken guitar, Travis picked them up. His back was aching from the impact and was heavily complaining. “And what exactly did you want to come to Prox for, Dustin? What was so important that you would kill two men without hesitation? Lunacy or idiocy?”

Ignoring the burning pain in his chest, Dustin chuckled. “Neither of those. Try obsession.”

Travis threw the pieces of the broken guitar down onto the floor. “Nothing can be that important that you would commit murder for it.”

Wrapping his fingers around the edge of the chair, Dustin painfully pulled himself up into it. Wincing, he sat back and closed his eyes for a moment. “It can be, if that is all you see every time you close your eyes.”

Picking up Ember's blue teddy bear, Travis held it in his hands tightly. It still smelled slightly of mold. “They are just dreams nothing more.”

Dustin's face went pale. “Dreams are something that you can wake up from. These feelings, these memories, I can't. They are always there. I am constantly reliving a life that I don't remember. Everyday I have seen this planet, and feel the pain that I've experienced here over and over again. The only thing is, I've never been here. It's like when someone has their leg cut off, but they swear that they can feel still feel a itching where it used to be. A phantom pain. That's what this is, a pain that haunts me, terrorizes me and brings me to the point of self destruction. I came here to end it, one way or another.”

“Cut the bullshit. I don't want to hear about your bad dreams. Fess up and tell me the truth now. You didn't just come here to rescue Ember and I, there was another reason. What did you and your men do in the base?”

“In the lower levels, connected to life support, a man named Burnley. The Shepherd put him there as punishment I think... all the waking dreams, the nightmares, center around him. I knew that if I killed him, they would stop.” Dustin looked up at Travis. “So there you have it, I am a three time murder. The kid isn't here now, it's your chance to follow your heart and do what you wanted to do before she stopped you. I won't fight you anymore. Just do it and be done with it. New West doesn't care, I won't be missed.”

Travis looked around. “Ember.” He cursed underneath his breath. During the confrontation, he heard her run off, but assumed that she was just hiding behind another seat. Dropping the teddy bear, Travis called out for her, but there was no answer. Suddenly one of the computer monitors started to display a 30 second count down that caught his eye. He turned to Dustin. “What is that for?”

Painfully Dustin turned to look upwards. “You know what it is. That's the take off countdown. Once it reaches zero, the thrusters will kick on and we will be launched back into space to begin the journey back home. It's a fairly shaky experience, hence the straps on the seats. If you aren't buckled in, the momentum from the initial launch will probably throw you around a bit. Broken bones are sure to occur. I explained this all to the child when you arrived on the ship, but I can see that you were obviously not paying attention... I wonder where your thoughts were, Travis.” He pulled the safety strap around his waist buckling it tightly, the silver metal becoming stained red with the blood from his knuckles. “You better find her before the countdown reaches zero. I can't possibly imagine how violently thrown around a child would be who isn't restrained.”

“Get up and help me look for her!” Travis shouted at Dustin.

Dustin smirked. “Even if I wanted to, I can't. You've broken too many of my ribs, I don't even think I can stand on my own right now.” Dustin shouted over the rev of the ship’s engines. They were roaring loudly now, seconds away from take off.  
Returning to where Dustin was strapped in, Travis grabbed his shoulders and shook his bruised body so hard, he thought the man would break. “Get up and tell them not to leave until I find her!”

Dustin pulled Travis's hands off of him. “I told you already, once the launch program is initiated, there’s no going back. We get one take off from Earth, and one from Prox, any other landings or take off's aren't possible. As I explained earlier, we are low on fuel! They have to leave now, or risk be stranded here. The moment this ship leaves the ground, we're committed to returning to Earth. You can't stop it. Besides even if I went up there to the control room and asked them to stop, they wouldn't. You don't know how New West works. They got exactly what they want, and they couldn't give a damn about you or I right now.”

“Fuck you and fuck New West. I will go find her myself, even if I have to rip this damn ship apart with my bare hands.” Turning around, Travis left the passenger hold and started to wander through the corridors of the rescue ship. As he went from room to room, looking for Ember, he noticed that a large number of the compartments seemed to be completely empty. There were no supplies in it, no troops, except for the few men that arrived with Dustin, and no equipment. It was all very suspicious. Searching through every twist and turn that he could find, there was no sign of Ember. Eventually he found himself at the control room that Dustin was talking about. The doors were shut tightly, and secured from the inside. Still, hoping against hope, Travis pounded loudly on them, screaming for them to open up, but they remained tightly shut. Taking a moment to think, Travis leaned against the wall, looking out to the windows, where he could see the sandstorms of Prox whirling about, hurling massive amounts of sands against the shell of the ship, rocking it slightly. His eyes then drifted over to a computer screen mounted on the wall, which was displaying the layout of the ship. He went over to it and retraced his steps to where he had been, much to his dismay, he realized that he had been to every section that was marked, and still there was no sign of her. Slamming his fist against the wall, frustrated and angry, he took one more look at the monitor and noticed something peculiar. The door to the cargo bay was open. “Oh my god.”

Without a moment to lose, Travis took off down the corridors, his footsteps echoing loudly on the steel floor as he rushed to his destination. Just as he turned the corner, a blast of warm air hit him squarely in the face, and he had to bring his arm up to shield himself from the onslaught of sand and dirt. The doors were open and the metal ramp was extended out of the ship, and there at the end of it was Ember, her tattered dress whipping in the wind. Not noticing him, she walked out into the storm, heading back towards the base. Travis stepped out into the cargo area and called to her. “EMBER! What are you doing? Come back!” Suddenly there was a loud banging sound and the ramp started to retract back into the ship. Ember kept walking, oblivious to Travis's desperate calls to her.

Forcing himself to walk against the wind, Travis kept calling to the child. “EMBER, EMBER! It's Travis. Turn around! The ship is about to leave! I am here, come to me! Hurry please!”

A few feet away, Ember turned and saw Travis standing inside the ship. Her eyes were wide, and she smiled. Moving quickly, she ran through the sand, her little feet sinking into it and her shoes filling up, weighing her down. Travis struggled against the wind and had almost made it to the doors when the rest of the ramp retracted into the ship and the cargo doors started dropping down. The ship lurched forward, and Travis lost his balance and fell backwards, hitting his head on the grated steel floor. His vision blurred for a moment and the there was a loud ringing in his ears. A memory fluttered though his brain, like a butterfly floating through the sky on a warm spring day.

It was Christmas eve 2 am. A man and a little girl stood hand in hand at the arrivals gate. The airport was silent, all the holiday travelers were already safely at their destination, tucked away in their beds, dreaming about the presents they would open in the morning. Scott knelt down next to Ember. She was dressed in a hunter green dress with a bright red ribbon tied around her waist. Her red hair cascaded down her shoulders in waves, pushed up on one side with a silver and white poinsettia. He smiled at her, his eyes warm and comforting. She was unusually awake and anxious for the small hours of the morning when most children are asleep. “Em. It's time. Are you ready?” The little girl nodded. She stepped forward, holding onto Scott's hand as he led her over to the gate. The blinking monitor flashed a bright array of colors, illuminating them and announcing that the flight they had been carefully watching for the last 8 hours had finally arrived.

The door opened. A man wearing a black sleeveless hoodie and jeans with a black backpack walked forward. Scott squeezed Ember's hand a little tighter. Travis looked to him, and their eyes met for one single moment, and then instead of going to him, to greet his lover, he instead went to Ember, and knelt down next to her. He handed her a single white rose, tied up in a shimmery red ribbon. “Uh. Hello Ember. I've been wanting to meet you for a very long time now.” As she took the rose from him, he swallowed and cleared his throat. “I know it's going to be awkward for a while, but I promise you that everything is going to be alright. The three of us, we're going to be a family. I love you just as much as I love Scott, and I hope that one day, you will come to understand just how much you both mean to me. Until then, we will take it one day at a time.”

Ember slipped her finger around the ribbon, the red sparkles gleaming brightly in the dim light, and then looked up to Travis. A smile drifted over her pink lips and she immediately lept into his arms. Travis looked up anxiously to Scott, who wiped away a tear and nodded to him. Closing his eyes, Travis wrapped his arms around the little girl and hugged her tightly. “I love you already, Travis.  
She whispered to him.

“Travis! Travis!” Ember was screaming. Struggling to open his eyes, Travis sat up and inhaled a lungful of dirt and sand, then immediately began to cough. Through blurry eyes, he looked out and saw Ember struggling to make it to the rapidly closing doors. Cursing, he wobbled to his feet and sprinted to the exit. She was so close that he could almost reach out and grab her. Almost.

At the last second, the little girl's feet sunk into the sand and she tripped, falling just short of the cargo doors. Travis lurched forward, shouting to her, his fingertips nearly grasping her shoulders when suddenly the steel doors slammed shut, cutting him off and knocking him backwards into the cargo room. “NO!! EMBER!” He screamed over and over, pounding relentlessly against the doors as the ship started to ascend. Pulling himself up, he went to the control panel and hit every single button in an effort to try and open it again, but it was of no use. The ships thrusters kicked on, knocking him down to his knees. “NO NO NO NO!” He kept shouting. Fighting against the gravitational force, he managed to get hold of the edge of one of the windows in the cargo area and look out. They were already 50 feet in the air and rising rapidly. All he could see in the whirlwind of dust down below them was the bright red color of Ember's hair as it faded away into nothingness. She was now all alone on Prox.


End file.
